Lady Golden Fire
by Phoenix-Fire-Queen
Summary: Valencia D Erika; Captain of The Vengeful Valkyrie, AKA Lady Golden Fire with a bounty of 655,000,000 beli has arrived on the Moby Dick. Follow her story as she discovers if she has a new place to call home and if her weird little family will be extended. Will she find the one that is meant for her here or will she suffer another false hope? OC/Marco, EASL
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I have become quite obsessed with One Piece as of late and wanted to write something for it. I only have a couple of chapters done so far and I'm not sure how this is going to go. I'll upload one or two up here and see how it is received if not many people like it I will take it down and just keep it for myself. Please leave a comment on what you think of the story and if I should continue with it on this site. **

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"I see a ship coming up on the starboard bow!" the watchman shouted from the crow's nest. It had been a calm morning on the Moby Dick. It had been just over three months since the crew had been betrayed by one of its members and Ace had chased after him. Everyone a part of the fleet now cursed the name Marshall D Teach and prayed that Ace deliver the justice that they craved upon him and returned to them unharmed. Marco and Whitebeard, however, worried that even more great change was on its way and could only hope it did not affect the youngest commander while he was away.

"What flag is it flying, yoi?" called up Marco from his spot standing next to his Pops' chair.

"It's got a black flag but under that, they have raised a white one!" the watchman called down, a man from Marco's own division named West. Marco looked to his father to see what his commands would be, although he had a pretty good guess already.

"Let them approach. I want you to fly over and see who they are and what they want." Whitebeard stated, just as Marco suspected. Marco nodded his head and called out orders to all those near. He also called for the Commanders to alert those on the paddle ships of the situation, just in case. As the ship pulled alongside the Moby Dick Marco walked to the railing of the upper deck and looked down upon it. He was surprised to note how small the craft was for a New World ship. It could be manned by one person with enough experience, although could realistically use a crew of four of five people. When it was close enough he hopped up on the rail and turned his arms into the fiery wings of his counterpart and drifted down to the vessel below.

As he landed he extended his Haki to cover the ship and found only three people to be on board. Looking ahead he spotted a woman leaning against the wall of the ship's wheelhouse watching him in relaxed boredom. Straitening his posture, he started to walk towards her as she spoke.

"Welcome aboard my ship, the Vengeful Valkyrie, Marco the Phoenix." She stated with a dip of her head. He nodded back in reply saying, "Hello. Might I ask who you are and why you approached the Moby Dick?" He analyzed her carefully as she smiled at him. He could admit that she was a beautiful woman. She had bright silver-blonde long hair with two braids tight to her scalp on each side of her head. A wide puffy braid took up the rest of the hair on top of her head and looked to be going down her back. Each braid was decorated with gold and silver trinkets, while the rest of her wavy locks hung free in the wind. She has forest green eyes with dark smoky-eye makeup, high cheekbones, and full red lips. She appeared to be about 5'8" to 5'9" but was wearing 3-inch heeled black ankle boots. She has on an olive-green cropped short-sleeved jacket, zipped up with a high grey and black-furred collar, black leather capris pants with a gold chain going around the left side of her hip and a long hunting knife strapped to her right hip and thigh.

The newcomer's ears are pierced, 3 in her right ear and 2 in her left, as well as a feather-shaped jewel hanging from her belly button piercing. On her left inner forearm, you can see a line of runic tattooing going from her elbow to her wrist and then wrapping around it like a bracelet. All his years traveling the seas taught Marco that some of the most beautiful of things could also be the deadliest. Especially when said beauty is caring a hunting knife on her side. He decided that while on this ship caution was the name of the game.

"I'm a friend of the family you could say," she stated with a smirk. "I'm here to make a special delivery." She continued as she stood from her lean. "A delivery?" Marco question suspiciously. Instead of answering him again she banged her heeled boot on the deck three times. Once done she shouted, "Oi, numbnuts! Get your ass up here and bring our gift with you. Make sure it's properly packaged while you do! Don't want any accidents to happen now do we?"

At this point, Marco didn't know how to feel. He was highly suspicious but more to the fact that this was a prank of some sort than anything that could be dangerous to his crew. Instead of giving an open reaction like the woman might be hoping for he just made sure is calm and semi-bored facade was up. What he did not expect to happen, nor did anyone who was watching from the Moby's rails above, was for their hated traitor, Blackbeard, to come flying out the nearby door wrapped in chains with a nice purple ribbon tied around his mouth acting as a gag.

No longer wearing his look of boredom, but instead one of shock and confusion, he looked over to the door again, hoping to see the third party on the ship. To his amazement, his own little brother, Portgus D Ace, came walking out looking a little worse for wear. Once he came out of the shadows of the sails and their siblings above could recognize him a great cheer rose up. Marco watched as both Ace and the newcomer smiled at the noise, Ace giving a wave to those calling his name. What caught Marco's attention though was the pride and, dare he say it, contentment in the woman's eyes when she looked at Ace's open smile. It defiantly seemed that there was a shared history behind that look. A lot needed to be discussed.

The captain of the small ship turned back to him and raised an eyebrow at his stare. "I know that quite a few questions need answering First Commander, however, I would appreciate it if that can wait until the trash is fully disposed of." She stated, nodding to the lump of shit laying on the deck a few feet away from them. He nodded his head in agreement, she was right, more important matters should be tended to first.

"I'll fly up with him and have someone throw down a rope for you to tie your ship to the Moby, yoi. Once that is done a ladder for you will be thrown down," Marco said as he walked over to Teach. "Ace, I'm glad that you have made it home safe, yoi." Ace nodded in reply and said, "Only touch the length of rope dragging away from his body, the chains are all seastone." He then smiled brightly, "I'm glad to be home." Marco nodded before transforming completely and grabbing the rope with his golden talons. He couldn't miss hearing a slight gasp that came from the young lady in their company. Looking back, he saw slight awe in her eyes, but what gave him pause was the sheer delight that was there as well.

Deciding to think on it later he spread his wings and gave a big flap to launch himself and his grumbling dead weight into the air. Once above the Moby, he flew over to let his cargo drop right in front of Pops' chair. Once he landed Teach sat up a glared at Whitebeard. Transforming back, he called for a rope and ladder to be thrown down as a few of his fellow commanders came forward to tie Teach to the deck. They had installed four metal rings to the deck a month ago just in case Ace brought the traitor back to face his justice instead of handing it out himself.

A few minutes later another cheer went up as Ace climbed over the railing and was quickly mobbed by siblings wishing to welcome him back home. Following him with a fond smile was the mysterious captain. Marco could hear the rumble of Pops' laugh as they watched Ace try to fight his way through the crowd to them. Finally, Pops called out, "Come on now boys, let him though, there will be plenty of time later to hug him to death." Slowly everyone stepped back creating a pathway from the rail to Pops' chair. Ace's smile never left his face as he approached them, hand in hand with the blond woman.

"Welcome home my son!" Whitebeard boomed out. "Pops!" Ace called. "I'm happy to be home. I'm also happy to say I've fulfilled my mission." His smile dimmed, "Although I needed to have a little help on that end." He finished. He looked sheepishly next to him to the foreign presence on the ship. She just raised her eyebrow and shook her head in what seemed like exasperation at him. He smiled brightly again and turned back to Pops.

"May I introduce you to our guest, the lovely Valencia D Erika Captain of The Vengeful Valkyrie. She also goes by Lady Golden Fire with a bounty of 655,000,000 beli." Ace proceeded to announce proudly to the shock of the whole ship, presenting her with both arms extended in her direction.

While everyone had heard of Lady Golden Fire and her exploits through all the Grand Line, her poster was one of the very few bounties that did not show a face. Her bounty instead showed the outline of a curvaceous woman wreathed in completely golden fire, hence the name. That she was supposedly standing in front of them smirking at their reactions was hard to believe.

"A pleasure to meet you, gentlemen." She said with a mocking bow and wink to the captain, to which he laughed at. Straightening up she smiled a genuine and beautiful D smile at Pops. "Ace has told me much of his time here. While I may jest it really is a pleasure to meet the man he looks up to and respects enough to call father." She said looking at a now blushing Ace. Shaking her head at him she took another few steps forward. "Before we commence with storytelling and further our discussion I wish to request something, if I may?" While puzzled at the turn of the conversation Whitebeard nodded for her to continue.

"As I told your First Commander before I explain why I am here and how I became involved I wish to see Marshall D Teach face his due for the wrongs he has done. I too have my reasons for wanting him dead. More specifically, unable to hurt and threaten another one of my family members. I almost killed him myself, but Ace had convinced me that returning him to those that he wronged first was more appropriate."

This small speech surprised the surrounding Whitebeard pirates. In their pain at being betrayed, they never thought that there might be others out there that would want to take revenge for themselves for what Teach did to them. As well, they felt saddened that they could not prevent what Teach did, as it was clear to them this happened after he left.

Whitebeard frowned at the similar thoughts running through his head. With a grim face, he bowed his head slightly to Erika and replied, "I am sorry for whatever it was that Teach did to your family and that we could not prevent the occurrence. I agree that you deserve to see justice done and thank you for allowing us to be the ones to carry it through." He looked up in time to see both Erika and Ace exchange a glance at the word family before glaring at a slightly trembling Teach.

Before he could figure out the meaning behind the look Erika took a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly, before looking up at Whitebeard. "You and your crew hold no responsibility for Teach's actions after he betrayed you. Therefore no apology is needed, although the sentiment is appreciated. Thankfully all my family is alive, something I was deeply saddened to hear cannot be said for you. Ace told me many things about your Fourth Commander and I'm so very sorry for your family's loss. He sounded like a wonderful, if slightly exasperating, brother and son."

Ace looked down at that time, clenching his fist. Erika, however, saw the smiles bestowing those around her. This confused her until she saw a man slowly walking forward with what looked to be a nurse. "The tails of my death, I'm glad to say, have been greatly exaggerated!" the man exclaimed. Upon hearing his voice Ace looked up in shock. A huge smile broke out on his face as he ran forward yelling, "Thatch!" they grasped each other in a gentle but firm hug as Ace cried out with joy and confusion. "How? How are you alive!? You lost so much blood and your heart was stopped." The young man stepped back looking all over Thatch as if to make sure it's really him.

"Teach stabbed me that night because he saw me taking a bite of the fruit. We can only speculate that it was that bite that saved me. An hour or so after you left my heart just suddenly started back up again. Scared the nurses half to death when I started breathing out of nowhere. Healing has been a little slow going because my body was dead for a good few hours but another week or so and I should be back in tip-top shape! They said I'll even be allowed back in the kitchen next week!"

Whitebeard smiled down at the reunion before giving a glare himself at the surprised traitor at his feet. "As you can see, Thatch is very much alive, and we are as strong as we have ever been. You failed that night just like you failed to escape the consequences of your betrayal. Ace and Thatch, as your former commander and the man you tried to murder respectively, are charged with deciding your fate. I as your former captain will be the one to carry out the punishment that they decide."

This announcement both surprised and confused the crew. While they can understand giving Ace and Thatch a say in the decision, giving the choice over to them completely was unexpected. Marco, however, understood. Teach had been a "son" of Pops' for 20 plus years. Killing him would be hard enough on Pops, but to decide how to do it as well?

After receiving a nod from their captain Ace and Thatch put their heads together to try to come up with a fitting punishment for the crimes Teach had committed. Erika, who had stayed by Ace's side, leaned over to whisper something in Ace's ear. Ace whipped his head towards her in shock, before turning to Teach with a considering gaze. Nodding his head, he turned back to Thatch and gave told him what seemed to be Erika's idea. After another minute of whispered discussion, they both nodded to each other before turning back to Whitebeard.

"We have decided." Thatch stated.

"Very well. What is to be the traitor's punishment?" asked Whitebeard.

"It was pointed out," started Ace, "that he wanted that Devil Fruit of his so much that he was willing to betray and try to kill a member of our family for it. Let that Devil Fruit now be his own downfall." Both men looked at each other one more time before stating together, "Toss him overboard."

Their decision brought a mild shock amongst the crew. They all knew that Teach was going to be put to death, but for a Devil Fruit user like Ace to say they should drown the man was a surprise. Indeed, all the fruit users gathered gave a small wince at the declaration. Whitebeard, however, gave no indication if he thought the punishment was fitting. He just nodded his head and turned to Teach.

"Your punishment has been decided. Do you have any last words before it is carried out?" he asked. When Teach growled out a muffled reply Whitebeard gave a signal for the gag to be undone. Teach wet his lips and gave a gruff cough before saying, "That Bitch may have killed my crew and I'm to die here by your hand, but your era will end Whitebeard." He barked a hard laugh. "I won't be the one to stop it now, but it will come to an end!" he finished, grinning viciously. All around him the crew was yelling and glaring hatefully at him, but he just laughed.

Whitebeard himself was scowling at the man. "All those who walk upon this earth must die at some point. My time has not yet come, and my family will see to it that it won't for many years yet. You, on the other hand, have just run out of time. Good-bye Marshall D Teach, may those you have hurt find peace in your death." With that final sentence, Whitebeard used his bisento to cut the ropes tethering Teach to the deck and then used his Gura Gura no Mi to launch him out to sea. A scream and a splash were the last that was heard of Marshall D Teach.


	2. Chapter 2

Erika breathed a sigh of relief as Blackbeard sunk beneath the waves, glad that such a dangerous man could no longer threaten what was hers. The thought of what could have happened… no, she mustn't focus on the 'what ifs.' Her boys were safe and now she can move on. She still had places to travel and baby brothers to see, as well as scolding them.

"Acey now that he is gone the pack is safe again," Erika said gently. She turned to him with determined eyes. "We must keep it that way, do you understand? I barely made it in time to help you this go around. I won't always be there, so you need to stop being so fucking reckless!" she began to rant, not noticing all the stares of shock and confusion coming her way. Ace started to look mildly panicked as she stepped up to him. Using Haki she grabbed onto his ear as he tried to run. "I don't think so. I'm speaking now, and you are going to damn well listen! You need to think before you leap into a fight, and for the love of all that is fucking blue, learn how to use your Haki! You have spent how long in the New World and you still don't have it down?" she asked a shamefaced Ace.

"Um, excuse me?" a voice broke in. Pausing her rant Erika turned to look at where it came from, while still not letting go of Ace's ear. She found a feminine looking man with a full face of make-up on and his long black hair done up in an elaborate style stepping towards her. His kimono was a woman's cut and colored wonderfully with pink cherry blossoms. "May I ask what exactly happened? You said you barely made it in time to help him. Pardon my phrasing but just who the hell are you to want to help him in the first place?" he continued.

"Oh, of course, he didn't tell you who I am. He never tells anyone anything, the suspicious bastard." Erika says, sending a quick glare at Ace. She gave his ear another tug, to which he whined at, before letting go. Ace quickly backed up a couple of steps, rubbing his ear as he did. "Well, Acey? Do you wanna answer the 16th Commander's question or shall I?" Mia continued, propping her hands on her hips.

Ace grumbled a little under his breath before standing straight. "I didn't want to complete the introduction while Teach was still alive. Even as he was I didn't want him knowing something that could potentially hurt us if the wrong people found out. Anyway, Pops, Commanders, everyone, meet Erika, my big sister. Rika meet Pops and the Whitebeard Pirates!"

Everyone around them just stared for a few moments in silence before all shouting out in shock. Whitebeard just laughed. "Yoi!" was shouted a few minutes later and slowly the crew quieted down to turn and face the blonde commander that was standing on the arm of Whitebeard's chair. "Right then. Ace has a big sister, moving on for right now, yoi!" Marco continued once it was quiet enough. Sending a quelling look to any that wanted to continue making a raucous, he turned to the siblings in question. "Now that we can hear, can we get a more complete answer to what happened, yoi? How did you two meet up again and how was Teach captured?"

"Right." Ace said. "Well, I followed his trail and chased down every lead and rumor I could before catching up to him almost a month ago on Banaro Island in Paradise. When I found him, he tried to recruit me by telling me he had this great plan to get ahead and find One Piece before anyone else. Unfortunately, part of his plan included capturing our little brother, Luffy." At that point, Erika found it hard not to growl. She had to focus for a moment and remind herself that Luffy was safe and that the despicable bastard was dead. Once she could think clearly again she looked up to see that most of the crew had concerned frowns as well. It warmed her heart to see their worry for her small family, even though they hadn't met half of it yet.

"As I was saying," Ace went on after a controlling breath, "when he brought Luffy up, even saying that he had already met him once, well I kinda lost rational thought. The only thing I could think of was to stop him and keep him away from our baby brother. Luffy may be strong, but he is nowhere near ready to face someone like Teach. Apparently, neither was I." Ace finished quietly, much to everyone's shock. They all knew how strong Ace was, the fact that he was saying that he lost to Teach, his former subordinate, was something they weren't prepared to hear.

Putting a comforting hand on Ace's shoulder, Erika continued for him. "Ace put up a helluva fight, I'll tell you that much. I heard rumors of Ace being in Paradise while I was cruising around and decided to find and visit him before seeing how Luffy was doing. I was sailing by Banaro by chance when I saw a clash of darkness and flames coming from the island. I hurried ashore, knowing Ace could be the only person behind that ginormous fireball and arrived just after he lost the fight against Teach. He was being hauled away by the bastard's crew and I became furious that they would so much as touch a hair on him, let alone put him in the state he was in. So, I proceeded to kill Blackbeard's entire crew." Erika paused here as those around her let out exclamations of shock. This upset her some, as even some of the commanders seemed surprised. "Oi, I may be a little on the short side but I more than makeup for it in strength! And don't you dare tell me a chick can't be strong, because I've got over 100 ways to put you on the floor and prove you wrong!" she yelled out. "I didn't practically raise three boys and sail both halves of the Grand Line on my own to be disrespected because I'm a 'lady'."

"Guraguraguragura, quite right you are on that, my dear." Called out Whitebeard. Looking around at some of his more skeptical sons he continued. "Might want to smarten up boys. We wouldn't let anyone disrespect your sisters like that and yet you don't extend that courtesy to your Second Commander's older sister? Both are well within their rights to put a few of you through the floor and believe me, I won't stop them if this behavior continues."

At those words, a portion of the crew looked at their glaring and flamed-up commander before looking down in shame. The rest shook their heads at the idiots amongst them before giving a brief bow of apology to Erika. "That's what I thought. Please continue Erika. Also, please ignore my sons who are unfortunate enough to not have a properly working brain right now." He said with a huge smile.

Erika returned that smile with one of her own and a slight shake of her head. "Thank you, Whitebeard. Anyway, the Blackbeards put up a decent fight for a new small crew but they were still way to green to be much of a challenge. Ace would have easily put them out of commission if Teach had allowed them to fight him. No, the real challenge was getting around Teach's fruit. The Yami Yami no Mi, a Logia and a nasty piece of work in his hands. He could swallow whole villages in that darkness and spit them back out destroyed. He could also pull people to him like he had his own gravity, and through touch cancel out other Devil Fruit users, a little like Armament Haki but not quite. That's how he beat Ace though, he took away his most powerful fighting technique, the Mera Mera no Mi. My Haki, however, was strong enough to counter it and I was able to knock him out." At that, she looked pointedly at Ace, who just looked down sheepishly.

"Once he was down I chained him up in seastone and treated Ace the best I could. I wanted to know why he was fighting him before I did anything else. Once he woke up and told me what Teach had done and was planning Ace had to keep me from just killing him outright. Turns out that when he has time to think he can be one smart firecracker, my little brother." here she smiled to him, grinning even bigger as everyone laughed at his blushing cheeks. "He decided to deliver Teach back to you Whitebeards because the whole crew deserves to see justice done. Not having enough room on his skiff for a prisoner I offered to take him home." Erika finished with a shrug.

Whitebeard nodded his head in understanding. "I greatly appreciate you helping Ace to return the traitor to us. Ace is as dear to us as I can see he is to you and to have him home safe is a relief as well." Ace smiled at hearing the care in his Pops' voice, care and love that never wavered, just like his siblings. "Now that things have been explained sufficiently, the first order of business is to make sure Ace is completely healed from his fight with Teach. I can still see some bruising and that wrap around your ribs tells me of at least a fracture if not a break. Off to see the nurses son." At that statement, Ace became slightly pale and stuttered out, "No, no, there really isn't any need for that! I'm fine, Erika took great care of me, honest!"

"Oh no, Acey! You are going to get checked out by a proper physician even if I must drag you there myself." Erika claimed, turning to her little brother. She knew how stubborn he could be about getting help while being hurt and there was no way she was going to let that fly while she was around. "I know that at least one of the ribs on your right side is broken and another one is cracked. There was only so much I could do with what I know and had on hand. Now, are we going to do this the easy way? Or are we gonna play?" Erika finished as she crouched lightly, showing that she was completely serious and ready if he planned to run.

Ace had a pout, and honest to gods pout, on his face as he stared at the ready form of his big sister. This was something that the Whitebeard crew had never seen. Only Pops and the commanders had ever seen Ace pout, and only a slight one at that. This, however, was a full-blown puppy dog pout. "Ace. When was the last time your puppy pout worked on me?" Erika questioned as she slowly crept forward. She looked to be more stalking prey then going towards her injured little brother. "Um, I think when I was twelve…" he answered with a weak chuckle. "That's right when you stopped being a pup. So be a good second and do as your told. Don't make me pull rank." Erika continued with a slight growl to her tone. This surprised everyone, as well as confused. They had a feeling that they were missing out on a lot of the conversation, which was only was exasperated when Ace capsulated as soon as the words left her mouth.

"Good choice. I promise I won't leave while you're getting checked up. I want to make sure you're in good form before I go anyway." she said straitening up.

"Wait! You're not staying for a while? I thought you were going to stick around for a bit, visit some islands together like we promised the last time we met?" Ace questioned, upset from the news.

"Oh sweetie, I'd love to stay for a while and have an adventure or two with you and your crew, but it wouldn't be right for and unallied pirate to just hop aboard another ship a tag along like that," Erika said as she brought a distressed Ace in for a hug. "It would be disrespectful to your Captain for me to do so. It would also lead to the Marines asking questions that we don't want to answer right now if I just start sailing alongside you guys. Gramps has covered for us the best he can but it's our responsibility to do our part in keeping the pack safe." She continued to explain. Ace nodded his head into her shoulder before heaving a sigh and stepping away. He gave Erika a strained smile before turning around and following the nurse that was to escort him and Thatch, who needed rest, down into the infirmary.

Releasing a deep sigh of her own she turned away from her little brother's retreating form to face the giant chair that Whitebeard sat upon. "I have something to say and you will listen." She immediately started in a stern tone, much to everyone's shock. Marco jumped down to be between her and his captain while Whitebeard merely sat taller, waving for her to continue. "I helped raise that boy from when he was but a few months old until I set sail when he was 15. He is as much my child as he is my little brother. He is now a part of your crew and you treat him like family, despite what the world might think of him." Here she paused and gave a weighted look at the giant man before continuing.

"The fact that you and your commanders know why that is such a big deal is a huge vote of confidence for you. However, if I EVER find out that he is mistreated in any way or harmed seriously when it was in your immediate power to prevent it… it does not matter to me that you are a Yonko or that you have over a thousand men under your command, I **WILL** come for you with every **OUNCE** of my power and **TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!" **Erika threatened. Her last sentence was coated in so much Conqueror's Haki that some of the weaker crew nearby fainted almost immediately. The surrounding commanders stood shocked for a mere moment at the amount of sheer power coming from her before registering the threat made on their Pops. They began to step forward to confront her but stopped when her Haki suddenly disappeared and she stepped back. "That's all I wished to say. Now, you got any good rum on you? I could you a drink after a morning like this."

The abrupt change in tone and stance baffled those watching. "Guraguraguragura! You're quite the little she-wolf aren't you!" Whitebeard exclaimed. Marco raised an eyebrow at the, nearly missed, muttered statement "You have no idea." that came from Erika through his Pops' rumbling laugh. "You have nothing to fear, Ace will be well taken care of here. He is my son, I could do nothing less than cherish and protect him as I do with all of my children." Erika gave a beautiful smile and nod at his answer. "As for a good rum, I believe I have just the thing. However, you will have to stick around until Ace's welcome home feast tonight to get it." He continued with a smirk.

Erika raised her eyebrow at the blatant excuse to keep her here longer but let it go as it would make Ace happy to party with her before she left. Besides, hearing Ace rave about the great food that he has had while a part of the crew got her both hungry and curious. "Alright Old Man, I'll party with you lot tonight and then be on my way in the morning. I'd give a fair warning to your cooks though, while I have better table manners I can and will eat just as much as Ace." Erika answered with a smirk of her own. All she got in reply was those surrounding her laughing at the thought of Ace's appetite.

* * *

Marco knew what was happening. Even without his enhanced sight from his avian side, he would have seen it from miles away. Pops was intrigued by their guest. It was a familiar type of intrigue, one that normally gave him a new sibling. He didn't need his Pops to tell him that he wanted her to stay with them. Thinking on it, he wanted Erika to stay too. Something about her captured his attention, made him want to know more about her and stay around her.

Watching the ongoing party with a bored gaze, he searched for the sibling pair on his mind. Ace was devouring food at his normal rate with his sister sitting beside him. Erika was consuming what seemed to be the same quantities, only in a calmer rate and manner. Surrounding the pair was a bunch of his more curious siblings, asking questions that went unanswered in favor of the food. Marco made his way over as the two began to slow down. Erika, it seemed, was just about done while Ace had, typically, fallen asleep mid-bite. The crowd dispersed, laughing at Ace as they did so.

"How he has managed to stay alive this long while being a narcoleptic I will never know, yoi," Marco stated as he handed Erika a tankard of rum.

Erika chuckled while replying, "A heaping dose of D luck. It's the only way I figure."

Marco nodded at that while sitting to her left. Not being able to keep it in anymore, he asked a question that had been bothering him most of the day. "Why is it that you sail alone, yoi? It's quite unusual for a pirate to do so." Looking at her he could tell that she had been asked this question often from the slight exasperation on her face.

"I have three little brothers to take care of. I need the freedom being alone provides to be able to sail to them if they ever need me. Having a crew means having to do what's best for them, both as a whole and individually. I couldn't, in good consciousness, drag them with me if I had to help one of my brothers out of a tight spot." Erika shook her head as she grabbed her left inner wrist, "Family is everything to me and keeping my family safe and free is all that matters."

"But what about you, yoi? Don't you get lonely by yourself? Don't you have a dream to pursue?" Marco asked.

Erika nodded. "From time to time yeah, I get lonely. And of course, I have a dream. I'm living it partially, to see the world, wild and free on the seas with my family by my side. My brothers all have their own dreams though, that take them away from me and each other. So, I make due, sailing wherever the wind and log pose take me, visiting them as often as I can. As I said, they mean more to me than anything else, even part of my own dream."

Marco looked at the sad smile Erika was directing at Ace's sleeping form. He could understand the importance of family, but it still depressed him to know that she was basically on her own. "You know, you really could stay with us for a while like Ace suggested, yoi. Pops wouldn't mind, in fact, he might even insist on it. You could spend time with Ace, even help me train him in Haki."

Erika looked to him in surprise. It seemed like it never crossed her mind that they might allow her to stay or that they might even want it. "You're Ace's sister, you're practically family already. Of course, you would be welcomed to stay with us, yoi. That you're a decent person with a strong will to protect family means you will fit right in."

Marco smiled slyly at her. "It seems like your little family has a knack for gaining our Pops interest as well. Your speech earlier today about us taking care of Ace really sealed the deal on him wanting you to join us, yoi." He chuckled as he went to stand, noticing Ace slowly waking up.

"I would take my advice and decide to stay, at least for the time being, when he asks you in the morning. Ace is proof enough that Pops will take drastic measures to try to give people the family that he thinks they need and deserve, yoi." With that last sentence, he walked away, leaving Erika in a state of slight shock and confusion.

Marco walked over to his Pops, hopping up onto the arm of his chair, his normal spot, to watch the rest of his siblings party. He heard his Pops chuckling and looked up at him in question. "A busy night, son?" he asked. Marco shrugged, taking a drink from his tankard. "She got to you as well, didn't she?" he laughed again. Marco gave a slight glare. "I don't know what you mean, yoi." He stated haughtily. Whitebeard just laughed again.

"Do you think she will stay with us?" Pops asked after he calmed down. Marco frowned in thought, turning to look at the woman in question. Erika, it seemed, was deep in discussion with her brother. Ace seemed to be excited while Erika looked skeptical. Eventually Ace just sighed, leaning in and nuzzling his nose to his sister's chin and cheek before pulling back and… whining? That was the second time they did or said something dog-related, and Marco would bet it wasn't a coincidence. Whatever he did, though, seemed to work as Erika just sighed before smiling at him and giving a nod.

"I think I'm going to go with yes, yoi," Marco said, smirking as he watched Ace give a cheer, grab his sister by the hand and drag her over to where they sat. Several commanders, hearing his cheer, followed them over.

"Pops, Pops, Pops!" shouted Ace.

"Son, son, son!" Pops called in reply, chuckling.

"Can Erika really stay with us for a bit?! Can she please?" Ace asked, almost bouncing in place while holding her hand still. Erika gave an adoring look at his sheer childish excitement before looking at Pops, almost apprehensively. Did she really think that they would turn her way?

"Well of course!" Pops boomed out. "She can stay as long as she likes, she is family after all." At his last statement, Erika gave a slight jerk before looking around as if waiting for someone to object. All she found where smiling faces. Marco thinks he figured out the real reason Erika travels alone, and he had a feeling Pops understood it too by the look in his eyes.

"If you're sure?" Erika hedged. At Pops' nod, she continued, "Then I suppose staying on for a few weeks would be fine." She smiled. She then busted out laughing when Ace tackled her to the floor in a bear hug. It surprised him slightly on how much the simple expression of joy from Ace could completely change her mood.

Marco believed, now more than ever, that Erika needed to feel loved and excepted just like Ace had when they first came across him. It seemed to him that she has only known these feelings from her younger siblings. He didn't know why she would feel this way if it had to do with her parentage or with something else entirely, but it made him want to kick whoever had put such doubt in her psyche.

Looking around at all his smiling and laughing siblings he couldn't help but feel warm inside. He may not have a mate, may never find one, but he had his flock. A better and more open family could not be found anywhere on the seas, he was sure. They would except Erika with open arms, no matter the reason she was sent away from others before. Now all they had to do was prove to her that she belonged here with them in the few weeks that she had given them.

Well, they had faced harder obstacles before. Marco had to smirk to himself, after all, they had an Ace up their sleeve.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning found Erika quite early, despite staying up late partying the night before. Whitebeard had offered to keep her small ship in the Moby's tenner ships dock. It amazed her that they had rigged up a system where part of the hull could open at the waterline and they can launch or dock smaller parties of ships through it. Either way, she took up his offer and sailed the Vengeful Valkyrie into its new temporary spot.

The Moby Dick was nearing a spring island and the weather was perfect for the early April day. Thinking about the date made her a little nervous. May was coming up and she knew she had to leave by, at the latest, the second week of that month, particularly with Marco onboard. That gave her a little under a month to spend time with Ace, she would have to make the best of it.

Coming back up on deck after docking The Valkyrie bellow, Erika looked around. It was about 7:30 in the morning and more people were up to start the day it seemed, however, she couldn't see her brother among them. That either meant he was still asleep in his room or was already in the galley getting breakfast. Deciding to check the former first, as she knew where that was from sleeping there last night, she headed to the commander's quarters.

On her way there she ran into the 12th Division Commander, Haruta, who seemed to be waiting for something not too far from Ace's door. Not able to contain her curiosity Erika asked, "Haruta right? What are you waiting for?"

Haruta smiled at her, "Yeah, that's me. I'm waiting for Ace to come out of his room. Because he has been gone for so long I decided a welcome home prank was the perfect way to start off the morning!" he chuckled quietly. Intrigued, Erika crept closer. "Oh?" she replied quietly. "And what planned mishap is to befall on my little firecracker?"

"Simple," Haruta whispered back. "I put some all-weather coating oil for the deck in front of his door, trailing down part of the hall, and stole his boots. He'll come out, ready to yell at me for his boots and slip and slide all the way down the hall before finally falling right about where we are." They both chuckled at the thought.

"Its smaller than my usual pranks because I didn't have a lot of time to set it up. I wanted to make sure you didn't get caught in it, so I had to wait until you had left." At that Erika gave a thankful look to the younger man, which he just laughed off. "It's your first day here, you don't have to worry about pranks for at least another couple of days. Although, with Thatch getting back on his feet more I would keep an eye on Marco, his favorite target. His reactions are hilarious!"

Erika couldn't imagine the seemingly straight-laced 1st Commander reacting well to pranks pulled on him and she said as much. Before Haruta could comment more, they heard curses coming from down the hall. Looking over they could see Ace, arms splayed out and flapping around like a bird to keep his balance, skating along the hall towards them. They watched as Ace yelped and panicked some more before falling on his ass and skidding to a stop right in front of the two.

"Well, good morning Sunshine!" Welcomed Haruta. Ace glowered up at the slighter man before cracking a smile.

"I gotta admit, that was good." Ace said with a laugh. "Erika? Were you in on this?" he questioned as his sister helped him up.

"No, I was just lucky enough to be heading back to your room when I spotted him waiting for you to trip the prank. I decided to stay and watch the free show." She laughed at his slight grumble.

"Well," started Haruta, "I better get a mop to spread the oil out in a more even coating so others don't fall…" the two boys looked at each other before bursting out laughing. Erika had a feeling that many commanders would be meeting with the floor that morning.

Getting his boots back and putting them on the three of them headed to the gallery to start in on some food. Ace and Erika grabbed two heaping trays each, to start, before going and sitting with the other commanders. Erika slid on the bench to be sitting between Marco and Ace and across from Izo and who she believed to be Vista, the 5th division commander. Haruta sat down on the other side of Ace.

"Good Morning, yoi," Marco said while those around just nodded.

"Morning all," Erika replied. "I have a few important questions if you don't mind answering?" she questioned the group, straight-faced and serious. Looking to her they all nodded, seeming a little worried.

"Good. First things first, where the fuck is the coffee? Because if I don't have at least one cup of decent coffee in the morning people end up getting hurt." Those around her were seemed startled for a moment before laughing, Ace, however, jerked up in shock.

"You haven't had your coffee yet?" he asked. When she shook her head he immediately jumped up and went over to the breakfast bar they have set up. This shocked those around him because there normally had to be a fight going on to get Ace to willingly leave his food.

Seeing their confusion Erika said, "Ace knows what happens when I don't get my coffee. He is usually the one running damage control when the shit hits the fan."

The commanders nodded in understanding as Ace sat back down, handing her a mug of lightly steaming coffee as he did so. "You still drink the same as before, right?" he asked. Nodding her head, she blew on the drink before taking a sip. Everyone could see how her whole body seemed to relax slightly as she released a contented sigh. "Ahh. Now, what's the MO around here and how did you guys want me to fit in while I'm here? Marco mention helping out with training Ace's Haki but is there anything else I can do?"

"Oh, you're a guest on the ship right now. You won't be expected to work." Vista answered her.

Erika gave him a skeptical look. "So, you expect me to do what while I'm on board? Work on my tan? Fuck that, I would go insane. I'm not saying to assign me tasks like some cabin boy, just let me help out here and there. Between training Ace while at sea and any trouble the two of us find on islands together I will need something to do."

"Well, why don't you help me with my division? I need to reorganize things now that I'm back and go over a training regimen and ship schedule with the guys. You can help me put my paperwork in order when we aren't training together and both of us can whip the 2nd Division into top shape in no time flat." Ace pipped in.

"I could also use a sparring partner if you're interested, yoi?" Marco asked. "I like matching up against people I'm not used to fighting, keeps me on my toes." Marco broke in.

Erika smirked wickedly at that and asked, "You think you can handle me?" to which those around them gave a whoop at. Marco merely smirked back with a raised eyebrow. She winked at him before turning to Ace, "Has anyone checked the news lately? You're not the only reckless one in the family, remember?"

Eyes wide at the thought he looked around for a paper. Seeing one of his division reading one he called out for them, "Tony! Oi, Tony! Can you bring that over here?" A thunk was heard before he yelped out, "Please?"

"Much better. Makino and I didn't go through all that hard work teaching you manners for you to not use them, pirate or not." Erika said while Ace could be seen rubbing his head.

"So, you're the one to thank for his manners," Izo asked.

"Yes, a friend of ours in the village nearby and I tried to teach two of my boys manners, the third already having them. While it worked to some extent on Ace, Luffy is somewhat of a lost cause. The most we can get him to do is say please and thank you, however, he has no concept on when something he has said is rude." Both Erika and Ace sighed at that, shaking their heads. "Both are atrocious when it comes to table manners but growing up in a jungle didn't really give me a chance to work on that. I only learned through the good graces of our friend Makino when I would help out in her bar as I got older."

Everyone gave a double-take on when they heard the word jungle. "What do you mean you grew up in a jungle, yoi?" Marco questioned.

"Well, Erika was left in the Dadan Bandit Family's care, via Shitty Gramps, when both her Mother and Father died when she was 2 during a pirate raid. Gramps had become a friend and sparring partner for her father and felt responsible for her when he died helping him defend the village. He dropped me off a few years later and Luffy when he was 7. Luffy had lived in the village before then but when he started saying that he wanted to be a pirate Gramps shoved him off on Dadan saying that living with us would help turn him into a Marine." Ace started to explain to everyone's shock. While he didn't actively hide most of his past he never really talked about it either.

Erika shook her head. "Grandpa really is crazy if he ever expected any of us to become Marines like him." She stated.

"Wait a minute here!" Haruta exclaimed. "Your Grandpa is a Marine, who left you all to be raised by mountain bandits and expected you to become Marines as well?!" he half asked half-shouted.

Erika and Ace looked at each other for a moment before giving big D smiles and saying, "Yup!" Haruta's head hit the table with a dull thunk.

"Wait, I thought you said that you had three brothers? Ace and Luffy make two." Asked Vista.

"Ah, the third brother is Sabo. He ran away from home when he was 5 and is the same age as Ace. He ended up becoming friends with Ace while they were beating up some thugs in the local trash heap and came to live with us when he was 6. Grandpa basically adopted him as soon as he met him later that year. Luffy is the only one of us related to Gramps, but because he practically adopted the rest of us we decided to make it official and drank Sake together to become siblings." Erika explained.

As she was telling the other commanders of some of their childhood Ace was looking at the newspaper. Everyone at the tabled was startled as he suddenly stood up, slamming the paper down as he did so. "Reckless rubber-brained idiot!" he shouted.

"Oh gods, what has the buffoon done this time!?" Erika asked leaning over to read. When she paled rapidly those watching began to feel worried. "No." they heard her whisper. "No, no, no, no, no, NO!" she ended up shouting. Everyone that was left in the hall hushed immediately, looking to the two frightened siblings.

When they both shot out of their seats and bolted for the door Marco got up to chase after them. "Someone find out what happened, yoi, and report to Pops that there might be a change in plans. I'll try to keep them from leaving." He shouted to the still seated commanders.

Izo, being the one to pick the paper up next, nodded his head before getting up. "It seems that their little brother has more balls than brains, although I commend him for it. He punched a Celestial Dragon who was trying to buy a mermaid friend of his at an auction house in Sabaody. Admiral Kizaru was the one to show up, with him was Bartholomew Kuma and some new machines made in his likeness called Pacifistas. His crew was sent away one by one by Kuma after, and here's a shock, The Dark King Silvers Rayleigh took on Kizaru to help them escape. This happened a week ago and there has been no word on where any of the crew ended up, including its Captain." He summarized from the paper.

Looking up he said, "All commanders to the meeting room now. And get Pops! We have a missing little brother to find."

* * *

Ace and Erika had made it to the Moby's front deck and were about to go turn down the hall leading to the tenner ship's dock when Marco caught up to them. "Wait, yoi! Hold on for just a minute!" he shouted after them. When Ace began to slow down at the sound of his voice Marco sped up, trying again. "Please, just give us some time to work things out before you go rushing off again Ace, yoi." At that Ace slowed to a stop, Erika stopping beside him. They turned to face him, the looks on their faces saying that he needed to speak quickly.

"Look, yoi," Marco started as he drew level with them, "I understand Luffy is in some sort of trouble and you want to go and help him. We would do the same so I'm not stopping you, yoi. I do, however, want you to think about it before rushing off. I've had the commanders summoned to the meeting room with Pops and we can all go over what's happened and what can be done." Here he stopped.

Erika looked a little shocked at the fact that Marco was offering to help them while Ace looked like Christmas had just come early. While he could understand the reactions he also felt a little offended. "We are your family too, yoi. Even if we haven't met him yet, Luffy is our family as well, and everyone knows how important family is to us Whitebeards. Let us help, yoi."

Erika and Ace exchanged a glance before nodding to him. Before Marco could take a step back to lead them to the meeting room Erika stepped up to him. "I told you last night how important my family is to me. You know what it means to me to have one of my brothers missing and more than likely in danger." She began, looking him straight in the eye. "What you are offering is both more than I ever dreamed could be possible for our small pack and a little too good to be true, to be honest. If you guys can and will truly help us, then I will owe you more then I could ever say."

Marco looked deep into Erika's eyes before saying, "You said pack just now, as in a pack of dogs or wolves, am I right?" he questioned. She blinked in surprise at the question before warily nodding in answer. "You ate a Zoan Devil Fruit, am I right? Some form of canine?" She sighed, looking down, and Ace stepped forward to put his arm around her in both a comforting and protective gesture.

Erika looked up at him and in her eyes, he could see fear, pain and something undefinable. She gave a nod of her head and a shaky smile. "Yeah, I'm a special kind of fucked-up when it comes to that category." Her statement shocked him. It seems Marco had found, at least part of, the reason why she was so apprehensive about staying with them.

"Don't say that Rika! There is absolutely nothing wrong with the way you are!" Ace declared heatedly.

"And I absolutely adore you boys for believing that." She said in return, patting Ace on the hand around her shoulders. Her response was almost as if it was automatic. This argument had clearly happened before.

Erika turned back to Marco saying, "You're partially right. Yes, I ate a Zoan Devil Fruit, but it wasn't specifically a canine type. Mine is a rare and unique form of Devil Fruit, one I've received mixed reactions from those I show." She sighed, "Once we figure out a way to help Luffy I will tell Whitebeard and you commanders about it. Although, whether you will lend us help after that will remain to be seen."

Understanding her misgivings came from past experiences Marco took no offense. "I don't see any of us having any issues with whatever Fruit you've eaten. However, I will say that even if the whole fleet can't help, for whatever reason, I promise you that I will, yoi."

Erika and Ace both gave him a thankful smile. Nodding to them he turned to lead them to the meeting room. Enough time had past so everyone had been gathered and apprised of the situation. Marco entered with the two worried siblings, taking his customary seat next to Pops while Ace gave his seat up to his sister, choosing to stand right behind her. Once they were situated the meeting got underway.

"Now, Izo has summarized what the paper reported for us and I had Haruta do a quick check on the author of the article to see if they report factually or not. He told me that this reporter is known for sticking to facts and only reporting speculation on occasion. From here I say that we start by informing the whole fleet and giving our allies some calls and tell them of the situation and to keep an eye out for any Strawhat crew members." Here Whitebeard paused to took to Ace and Erika. "Does this meet with your approval so far?" he asked.

Slightly surprised at his question they both said yes. Nodding to them he turned to Izo and stated, "I want you to get your division together and start making calls. We need all available eye for this." Izo nodded. Before he could leave Erika asked, "Could you do me a favor? Have someone go down to the Valkyrie and grab the white Den Den Mushi I have on my desk. I need to make a call that might help us get more information."

Izo looked surprised, although he nodded his head. "Of course. I'll tell my second to gather the men that are on board in the Communications room and link up with Mobys 1-4 while I grab and bring it to you."

As Izo left the room everyone turned questioning gazes to Erika. "Who are you planning to call?" Thatch asked. "It's gotta be someone important for you to use a white Den Den Mushi."

She nodded. "They are indeed. Please keep this information to just the commanders if you can." When they all nodded in agreement she smiled. "I plan on calling the Chief of Staff and second in command of the Revolutionary Army." She stated, then laughed at the looks on their faces. She could also hear Ace giving a chuckle behind her before taking pity on them.

"Another name he goes by is Valencia D Sabo, although Sabo is the only part of his name he carries from his birth parents." He said, waiting for them to catch on.

"A revolutionary?" Thatch exclaimed. "You never said your brother was a big shot revolutionary!"

"Ah! But I never said he wasn't either. It's not my fault you never asked what he did for a living." Ace retaliated with a smile.

Whitebeard started laughing. "He's got us there son! We never did ask what any of his family was up too. Most of us here have left our childhood families it the past so it never really occurs to us to ask those who didn't what they might be like or what they are doing."

"It was right of Ace to keep quiet about Sabo for as long as he could. While we know we can trust you lot not to use this information or give it way, the more people who know his real identity the more he is at risk. As of right now, the World Government doesn't have much on him, only the name Sabo, his rank in the Army and a somewhat dark picture. We would like to keep it that way as long as possible." Erika explained.

"Right, and what do you think he can do to help in finding young Luffy?" asked Jozu, the 3rd Division Commander.

"Him personally? I'm not sure." She said sadly. "Knowing Sabo though I would say that he has some form of information that we can use to narrow down the search. Along with that, the Revolutionary Army has eyes and ears all over the world, they can keep a lookout for the crew members as well." The group murmured in agreement.

"The newspaper says that Kuma used his Devil Fruit powers on them. The public might not know what that means but, those who do, understand that they aren't dead or captured, just scattered. Unfortunately, they can be anywhere in the world now." Vista said.

"Quite right." Stated Curiel. "It's why we need all the eyes we can get for this."

Erika and Ace exchanged another look at that statement. Ace seemed to be asking her something and she was debating the answer. Before anyone could ask what they where thinking about Izo returned, bringing the Den Den that Erika asked for.

"I know that there are more important topics to discuss at this time but let me just say that your ship is absolutely gorgeous! I especially love what you have done with your room. Where did you get all those impeccable fur pelts?" he raved.

Erika laughed joyfully at the comment, grateful for a slight break in the tension. "Nahahahaha, thank you! To be honest the décor is just a culmination of things I've picked up over the years and boredom. Although I'm quite happy with the result. All the furs you saw are made by me. Every chance I get I hunt for my food, to save money, and I try to use every part of the animal I possibly can, selling what I don't need."

Izo looked surprised for a moment before lighting up. "I love making and designing clothes in my off time. Can I buy some of those furs off you and have you make some more for me? It could really help when we go to winter islands to have warm fur coats and clothes for the men!"

"Of course! I sell my extra furs all the time. I'll tell you what, come see me once we've found Luffy or at least his location, and we'll go down to the Valkyrie together and talk it over." Izo clapped his hands in excitement, agreeing wholeheartedly. Giving a wave to his Pops he left the room to address his division on what needed to be done.

"Now, shall we continue, or would you like to make your call first?" Whitebeard asked. Erika looked up at Ace and when he nodded to her she looked back at Whitebeard and said, "Actually, I need to make two calls. I'd like to do them now, so we can have as much info as possible before figuring out what else we can do." The large man gave her a curious look but nodded for her to go ahead.

* * *

**A/N: This will be the last chapter I post for this story until I get a little feedback on it. If you like what I have so far and think I should continue to post the story let me know!**


	4. Chapter 4

Erika dialed a number on the Den Den Mushi and waited as it rang. Someone on the other end picked up, "I was wondering when you would call. I've seen the paper and have already talked to Dragon. Have you gotten ahold of Flame-brain yet? We both know he's bound to do something stupid once he hears of Luffy being in trouble." The voice said.

"Oi! I'm not the only reckless one in the family Sabo!" Ace shouted over Erika's shoulder.

"Oh! Hi, Ace. You're together? Where are you?" Sabo questioned.

"We are currently in the meeting room of the Whitebeard Pirates. I had to help Ace out of a tight spot a month back and brought him back to them yesterday. The Whitebeards were kind enough to let me stay with them and offered their services to help in looking for Luffy when we got the paper this morning." Answered Erika.

"Really?! That's great, I've wanted to say something to him for the last year. Oi Whitebeard!" he shouted from the snail. Sitting forward the large man responded, "Yes brat?"

"I'm grateful for you taking Ace in and offering to help us out, however, I wanted to say that if you ever hurt my siblings I will come after you and return the favor tenfold." Erika and the commanders present had to stifle a laugh while Ace started to blush lightly. Whitebeard let loose a deep chuckle, "Guraguraguragura, your big sister already beat you to the punch yesterday, cheeky brat, but I understand where you're coming from. My family means the world to me. Ace is now a part of that family and by extension so are his siblings. I promise to take care of our family, those with me and not."

The snail depicted Sabo's shock before giving a huge smile. "I knew Ace joining your crew was a good thing! Anyway, Dragon was contacted by Kuma shortly after he disbanded Luffy's crew. Kuma was one of the original members of the RA and is our undercover operative in the Warlords." This information came as a shock to those listening. They were worried as well on why he was sharing this with them and Marco said as much.

"I've learned over the years to trust my gut and so has Dragon. Knowing Ace was joining your crew I dug around for information on you guys and I didn't find anything that worries me or makes me feel like I can't trust you. The fact that Ace joined you alone means you gain a level of trust from me." Sabo answered.

"Now, we know Vegapunk has been doing cybernetic experiments on Kuma. We will, unfortunately, be losing him completely to the enhancements in the next day or so when they wipe his mind completely and reprogram him. Him sending Luffy and his crew away was all he could do to keep them from being killed or captured by Kizaru at the time." He continued.

"So, Kuma was saving them? Why?" Asked Namur.

"Well because it was Luffy. Of course, he would try to find a way around his orders and save him." Sabo stated.

"What does that mean. How does Kuma have a connection to a supernova rookie pirate? Unless you mean that he knows that he is your brother?" Rakuyo chimed in.

"Ahh, I see. No one has really explained our family, have they?" Sabo asked.

They looked, as one, to a slightly sheepish Ace and apologetic Erika. "Right then, I supposed full introductions and clarifications are in order for us working together to go smoothly. Any chance Izo could be brought back in for this? It wouldn't be right for him to be the only commander left out." Erika asked. Thatch nodded his head and left to get him.

Once both commanders were back and seated at the table, Erika started her explanation. "Ok, so I'm going to go over each person in our small family and give a brief background on each. All questions are waiting for after I cover everyone, and any nonessential ones will be put off until we get out of this shitstorm. Got it? Good." she started, not giving them a choice.

"My name is Valencia D Erika and I'm 24 years old. I sometimes go by Rika to those I trust implicitly. My mother was Valencia D Maria and my father, Einarr Sigmundr, was from a small tribe of human warriors on Elbaf. I was adopted at the age of 2 by Vice-Admiral Monkey D Garp and raised by the Dadan Family mountain bandits at his behest. I have eaten a Devil Fruit that will be fully discussed at the end of this meeting. For now, understand that I am a Zoan and have multiple animal forms." Here she glanced up and around to gauge their response to her last sentence. All showed signs of mild shock while some looked awed and others skeptical.

Taking a breath, she continued. "I'm the big sister, Founder, Alpha and Leader of our Pack. Each member of the Pack has a designated rank and position within the Pack. While we do except others into our Pack they have to prove themselves completely trustworthy and have my approval as Alpha before they can join. Once made a member you are given a rank and position best suited to you and what you can do for the Pack as a whole. If you become a member then you are a member until you die. To us, our Pack is the same thing as it is for you being a member of the Whitebeard Pirates." Erika stated. While it looked like most of the commanders wanted to comment desperately she raised her hand and pleaded with her eyes to make them wait.

When they all agreed she looked to Ace and nodded for him to go next. "My name is Portgus D Ace, born Gol D Ace, and I'm 19 years old. My mother was Portgus D Rouge and father Gol D Roger, whom you all knew. My mother carried me way past term, through sheer willpower, until I was born at twenty months. This prolonged pregnancy resulted in her death moments after she named me. Roger asked Garp to look after the both of us just before his execution so Garp adopted me and put me in the same home as Rika. As the second oldest and strongest sibling of the Pack, I am the Beta, the second in command."

Continuing before anyone had the chance to speak Sabo said, "My name is Valencia D Sabo, born Bentinck Sabo; the first son of the Bentinck nobles in the Goa Kingdom, aged 19. I hated what I saw in the nobles around me and ran away to live in the local trash heap at the age of 5. There I befriended Ace and within the year was adopted by Garp and moved into the bandit home with him and Rika. I am the third in terms of age and strength in the Pack, 3 months younger than Ace, and designated the position of Pack Hunter. Using my abilities as a Revolutionary I keep an eye and ear out for any possible threats to the Pack and it's members and try to eliminate them before they can become too big of a problem. I guard the Pack's back."

"The fourth sibling in our Pack," Erika went on, "is Monkey D Luffy, aged 17 and the only biological grandchild of Monkey D Garp. We don't know who his mother is but everyone in the world has heard of his father." Here she paused to take a deep breath. "Monkey D Dragon, the Leader of the Revolutionary Army." She paused again as those around her exclaimed in shock and understanding.

"As I was saying," she said loudly, talking over those trying to ask questions. "Luffy is our youngest sibling and designated the Pack's Lead Warrior. He was given the title of Lead Warrior instead of Sabo when at the age of 7, only 3 months after meeting us, he was willing to rather die at the hands of the pirates who had captured him and were torturing him than give away our location and the location of the treasure we had been stockpiling to leave the island when we all grew up." All the siblings were silent for a moment, the two physically present looking down in sorrow and frustration.

Tilting her head Erika continued, "We have two other members of our Pack, one official, and one honorary. The official member of our Pack is a woman named Makino, 29 years old. She is a villager and bar owner on the island we were raised. She is our unofficial big sister and was the Pack Healer when we still lived there. Our unofficial Pack member is so for obvious reasons. Monkey D Garp, AKA Grandpa, Gramps, and Shitty Gramps is our Pack Elder. He is given this rank because while he can be an idiotic pain in the ass he loves us and did the best he could to keep us safe from the World Government growing up."

Looking up from the table, to which she had been directing most of her speech, Erika directed her gaze around the table before landing on Whitebeard. "We have quite a few people labeled as prospective members. Only time will tell if our pack will grow and where these people might fit in," she stated meaningfully and with a hesitant smile.

In return, Whitebeard gave her a ginormous grin. "I must say that you have an interesting family, four Ds! One can only hope that it grows bigger, stronger and more protected in the future." He nodded to her hint.

"If we can save the questions for just a few more minutes? I have to go in a few moments and I need to give you the rest of the information we got from Kuma." Sabo said quickly. They could hear movement and talk in the background now, as well as someone who seemed to be screaming at him.

"Ok, tell us all you got. Oh, and tell Koala I said 'hi'!" Erika said with a smirk.

"Not funny! I don't even know why she's mad at me this time, although I'm sure I'll find out soon enough. Anyway, Kuma couldn't give the exact locations, but he said that he sent the Strawhats to places that they had, or could make, allies easily. We might already have a lead on one of them, Nico Robin, and given the reports, we think Blackfoot might be in Eva-chan's kingdom on Momoiro Island, the poor guy. Kuma said he sent Luffy somewhere calm which means he would be on an island somewhere in one of the Calm Belts. That's all we have so far, unfortunately. I gotta go! Keep me posted and I'll do the same. Love you guys and stay safe!" and with that, the call was disconnected.

There was silence for a moment after Sabo hung up. The commanders seemed to be going over all they had learned in the last half hour and formulating questions and thoughts on it. Most in the room jumped slightly when a bang sounded out. Looking for the source they found Erika's head resting on the table.

"Acey!" she could be heard whining. "I never got to finish my coffee and if I'm going to survive the rest of this meeting I'm going to need another one. This time with double the strength of my favorite booster in it."

Ace shook his head at the pathetic picture she made while chuckling. "I swear you're just as bad as Pops!" he said as he made his way towards the door.

"Oi! Bring some snacks too while you're at it!" she shouted, raising her head as she did so. Once he was gone she turned semi-serious again. "I'll start answering your questions now but keep in mind that we still have to figure out where we are going to start looking for Luffy."

Whitebeard nodded his head and thought for a moment. Eventually, he said, "The only thing that needs any clarification for me at this time is your Devil Fruit and your continued connection to Garp. If memory serves though, you promised to go over your Fruit once we had a plan of action for finding your youngest."

Erika nodded and said, "I haven't had much contact with Garp in the past few years I've been at sea. He has popped up randomly here of there to 'check on his little princess'." here she gave a look of contempt while the commanders laughed at the thought of Garp trying to get away with calling her that. "He basically just scolds me for not becoming a Marine or for getting a higher bounty, complains about what the boys have done recently, and buys me dinner and some supplies and then goes on his way. He would never willingly try to bring any of us four in if he could avoid it, he likes to just pretend we aren't pirates when he sees us." Some seemed a little shocked that such a well known Marine would give them a free pass yet also understood that they are family and even Garp does what he can to protect them.

Whitebeard nodded to her explanation. He then looked to his sons around him and said, "Ok boys, I'm putting a limit of one question per person for the sake of saving time. Think carefully about what you want to ask." Once everyone had agreed on the terms he gestured for Marco to go first.

Marco scratched his chin stubble in thought before saying, "I can't really think of anything that needs to be discussed immediately. All my questions pertain to your Devil Fruit as well." Erika gave a smile at the slight awe and curiosity she could detect in his voice and see in his eyes. Looking around the table she found that most had that same look.

"Ok, how about we do it this way? A show of hands on who has a question that doesn't pertain to my Fruit or can't wait until after the meeting." Erika said. Only five hands were raised. "Alright, we will go Izo first then Haruta, Thatch, Vista and then finally Namur. Izo?"

"I just wanted a little clarification on the Pack structure and all of the roles you each play please." He asked.

"Ok, that's easy. The structure of a pack is simple really and everyone in the Pack has a designated rank and role. I created the pack due to my Devil Fruit and became the Alpha as the oldest and strongest. In comparison, Whitebeard is your Alpha, your leader. I make desitions with the good of the Pack as a whole in mind, whether that be where we went and who we fought when we were younger or adding new members and organizing rescues now that we are all out at sea." Izo nodded, following along.

At this point, Ace returned with Erika's coffee and some snacks for them both. "Thank you, Ace, you dear sweet brother!" she exclaimed. This made those in the room laugh. Marco leaned in to smell her coffee and raised an eyebrow at her.

"I can see what he means by you being as bad as Pops. Exactly how much of that is actually coffee vs how much of it is rum?" Erika chuckle and replied, "Normally only about a fourth of the cup is booze on an average morning but I had Ace double it, half and half, for this cup." The then gave him a raised brow of her own. "And what does it matter if the Old Man drinks a lot. He's a big boy, I think he knows what his limits are and doesn't need his sons curdling his fun."

Hearing Whitebeard laugh she gave him a wink. "Anyway, back to the Pack roles. Ace is my Beta, the closest equivalent I can give is a first mate however it's a bit of a deeper level of trust than that. At least in most cases when it comes to pirate and Marine crews. Essentially he is the Pack leader in every way when I am absent and is to run the Pack to my specifications. He only takes orders from me when it comes to the Pack and when facing a problem is free to give ideas and strategies to confer about in order to solve it." She paused to take a sip of her drink.

"Sabo is a Pack Hunter. There can be many Hunters in a pack and they are the guardians and protectors of the pack. They protect the pack and take their orders from four ranks; the Alpha, Beta, Delta or Lead Warrior. All hunters must be quick thinkers and remain calm in any given situation. This could describe Sabo's personality to a T, which is why I gave him this role. Now that he is in the RA he is even more suited for the role as he can give us a heads up on any threats to the Pack and neutralize them, if need be, without interference."

"Luffy has the rank of the Pack's Lead Warrior. He will take orders only from me, the Alpha, Ace, the Beta, or a Delta when we get one. As a Warrior, he protects the Pack with everything he has, including his life, and will not back down from a fight against something that is threatening his Pack. Again, Luffy has the personality and stubbornness that is needed for this role, which is why he was given it. I have never known him to back down from a challenge when a friend is in need. The difference between a warrior and hunter is mainly where they defend the Pack, warriors to the front and hunters to the rear. Luffy will take the confrontations head-on while Sabo hunts down those that are a threat and takes them out.

Makino being our Healer is pretty self-explanatory, she always patched us up when we got into some bad scrapes and even though we no longer live on Dawn she is still a member of the Pack and will always remain so. Gramps is a Marine so we couldn't give him a 'normal' rank in the Pack. Since he's old and rarely around we gave him the rank Pack Elder. They can give advice to the leading members of the Pack but have no actual choice on the decisions made by the Alpha. It's higher in the ranking than Luffy and Sabo but lower than Ace and I basically."

Looking around and seeing that everyone was nodding to show that they fully understood she continued. "There are other ranks that make up a Pack, such as Deltas, Warriors, and Omegas but as we are so small we don't have them filled out. Now, Haruta, you had the next question?"

"Yeah, mine was about your father actually. You guys are from East Blue, right? So how did a warrior of Elbaf, human or not, end up there? Why did he stay?"

"Oh, well he died when I was 2 so I don't have the whole story but Gramps told me he left to travel after getting into a disagreement with an Elder's son about the worth of those born in the blues, trying to prove himself right I would guess. On Dawn island, he fell in love with my mom and ended up staying there. They got married one year and had me the next."

Looking to Thatch Erika signaled that he should ask his question. "I'm the head chef so I need to know if you have any food allergies or dietary restrictions or needs, especially since you said you are a zoan."

"Oh! Well, I'm not allergic to anything that I know of but I'm mainly carnivorous. I tend to eat mostly meat at mealtimes but try to balance that out by eating snacks and desserts that are fruit and veggie-based." Erika replied and then demonstrated by gesturing to the platter of assorted fruit that Ace brought her.

Erika looked to Vista next as he asked his question, "My question was about the blade you carry on your side. It's quite unique, I've seen nothing like it before."

Erika nodded as she drew her weapon out of its holster. "Yes, I had it specially made. While its main purpose is that on a hunting knife it can also be used in battle if needed. The blade is a foot long with the handle and one edge being that of a cutlass while it has the serrations and gut hook needed for hunting. The teeth along the handle guard may look like decorations from past hunts, and in a way they are, but they are quite effective when used to punch someone while fighting." Here she paused and smirked, "She also has a few tricks up her sleeve that I'll save for a later date." Seeing their curiosity she laughed, winking as she put the knife away. She then looked to the last person who had a question.

"Namur right? You had the last question." She asked.

Namur nodded and replied, "Yes, I did. Your wanted poster doesn't have your face showing on it, just you outlined in golden fire. I'm going to assume the fire is somehow from your Fruit but what I can't figure out is how, in the 5 years you have been sailing, the Marines never got a picture of your face."

"Ah, that one was a little tricky to swing in my favor. I will give a clearer explanation when I talk of my Devil Fruit but let's just say for now that I can tell when a Marine is nearby. With that ability handy I can shroud myself in those flames when they go to photograph me. I like having the ability to walk among towns on islands without the populace being afraid I will attack them or something equally as stupid as that. I might be a pirate, but the senseless killing of innocents is something I will never condone or be a part of."

Whitebeard and his commanders smiled and nodded to her statement, obviously sharing in her conviction. This was something that they were known for, in fact. Protecting those innocent and punishing those who cause trouble on their islands harshly.

"If that's all the questions we have for now?" Whitebeard asked. Getting no reply he continued, "Then you can either make that second call or we can start charting out a course of the most likely islands to search for young Luffy."

"Thinking on it, I don't want to involve any more people than we already have. With us, your allies and the RA keeping a lookout I think we have enough people. I don't want to accidentally lead the wrong people to them. If we do end up needing help then I will call my other contact." Erika said in reply.

With that agreed upon they got out maps and charts and started calculating what islands in the Calm Belt to search first. The decision to start on the ones closest to Sabaody was easy, however, they were having trouble figuring out whether to stay on the New World side or go to the Paradise side. After a heated debate they finally made the decision to travel back to Paradise, leaving a team of their allied ships to search on this side of the Red Line. Atmos brought up a valid point in saying that with two lines of the Calm Belt to search they needed to narrow down the search grid and delegate where they can.

Marco briefly left the room to inform his division on board and on the paddle ships to change course and start heading for Fishman Island. Once he returned to the room and sat back down everyone turned to Erika. With their curiosity permeating the air around them, she sighed and readied herself for a long as probably stressful discussion.

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**A/N: As I've gotten a bit of positive feedback on this story I've decided to continue to post chapters. As of right now, I'll post one chapter per week, every Friday. Please continue to let me know what you think, constructive criticism is welcome. **


	5. Chapter 5

"Like I told Marco when he asked me about it before the meeting," Erika stated, "mine is a rare and unique form of Devil Fruit. I've gotten a lot of mixed reactions from those who have seen my full form. The name of my Devil Fruit is Shinka Shinka no Mi Model: Chimera, also known as the Evolution Fruit. My Fruit allows me to have the combined and exasperated power of a normal Devil Fruit. I can transform both partially and fully into 3 separate or combined animals of each zoan class; ancient, normal, and mythical." Here she paused to see if everyone was following her.

"Not only that," Erika continued, "but I have the evolved forms of each of these Zoan Fruits. I have better control over selective shifting, can typically hear and see farther, have a more enhanced sense of smell, and I'm bigger and stronger than those who have eaten the singular Devil Fruit for each animal. These animals are not predetermined by the fruit but tailored to the personality of the fruit user each time it is eaten. With this comes some downsides as well but I can get into that later." In her pause the silence was unnerving.

"So, you can turn into three animals instead of the normal one?" Thatch asked

"Yes. I can also combine the animals and create a creature called a Chimera. It's this form that usually gets mixed reactions as it looks a bit like a monster from your childhood nightmares." She replied.

"What animals can you turn into, yoi? I guessed a form of canine before and from your formation of a structured Pack I would say that it's a wolf." Marco asked.

Erika smiled at him before answering, "Yes, I can turn into a she-wolf, just like your Pops claimed yesterday. I'm not some common grey wolf found in the woods, however, I'm a Dire Wolf. It's an ancient and giant breed of wolf that is more primal and aggressive than their modern counterparts. I'm about 6ft tall and 10ft long, and have a longer head as well as being broader than a modern wolf. I can hear as far as 6 miles away in the forest and 10 miles in the open in wolf form and about half that when in human form. My sense of smell is the strongest sense I have. I'm able to pick up pheromones and scents from everyone in this room, and let me tell you, the testosterone on this ship is overwhelming."

They chuckled lightly at her joke yet seemed amazed at the same time. To show off some of her selective shiftings she elongated her face a little to form the start of a muzzle as well as enlarging all four of her canine teeth.

The commanders watched this process in pure shock and awe. Just to see their reactions she added her wolf ears to the top of her head and tail to her back before shrinking her muzzle until just the fangs showed slightly. Once she was done most of the men had blushed varying shades of red and when she tilted her head and whined lightly Thatch had to cover his now bloody nose. Smirking at her small victory she looked to Whitebeard, who showed no reaction, and Marco, whose only visible reaction was a slight dilation of the eyes and tint of red to his ears. She gave them both a pout, which made things worse for the other men, before reverting to her normal face.

"Here is both a downside and perk to my sense of smell, I can tell distinctively who was most affected by that little show just now. And no, I'm not talking about Thatch's obvious bloody nose. I can smell the arousal in the air and pinpoint it to its origin. While annoying right now, it can come in handy when a perv tries his luck in following me. This is also how I know when a Marine is near-by. I've memorized the distinctive smell of the detergent they use for their uniforms from Garp as well ad the type of lacquer they use on their ships." Erika explained, nodding her head to Namur in a show of fully answering his question.

"That was an excellent show of control and skill, to only transform small areas of yourself and know who exactly was affected," Whitebeard commented with a smirk. Erika just gave him a wink in response. "What other forms do you have?"

"I can take the form of a Komodo Dragon, a giant venomous lizard. It has sharp claws, extremely strong and well-muscled tail, armor-like scales that contain tiny bones acting as a natural chain-mail, and a deadly bite. If needed I can transform just my tongue and use it to track a scent from about 12 miles away." She answered, then proceeded to show them her now very long forked tongue.

"Impressive, yoi. And your third form?" Marco asked.

"Ah, I can turn into a very pretty bird!" Erika exclaimed with a laugh.

Ace, recognizing that she was stalling answering his question about her winged form and quickly remembered the reason why. "You're only going to be here for about a month, aren't you?" he asked her somewhat quietly. "One of those times is coming up soon isn't it?" Ace asked, shaking his head. "Seeing you like that always used to both freak me out and make me feel useless." He continued, looking a little down.

"One of those times?" asked Izo, looking confused yet curious. Out of all the commanders he was definitely the nosiest. "What happens in a month and why would Erika have to leave for it?" he looked around, seeing if any of the others had an idea. While most looked just as confused as him, Marco and Pops looked like they had an idea of what was going to happen.

Erika covered Ace's hand, that was on her shoulder, with one of her own when he spoke of being useless, trying to give a measure of comfort to him. "You're not useless. When I was with you boys it wasn't as bad. Being around familial scents helped with the longing. But yes, I should leave before it fully starts. With so many others around, especially… I just don't think it's a good idea." She stated slowly.

Turning to Izo Erika answered, "When a Zoan Fruit user eats their Fruit they are rewriting their DNA to be the combination of both human and animal. With the animal DNA comes animalistic traits and instincts, both in and out of animal form." Izo and the others nodded to show that they understood.

"Animals rely on instinct honed over thousands of years to live. Where to live, what to eat, when to start on the next generations and even being able to sense a change in the weather is all due to instinct. All that is now in our heads, part of our genetic makeup. We can no more control it than we can control being tall or short."

"Ok. I understand all that but what I still don't get is why you need to leave in a month." Izo said.

Erika sighed one last time before looking Marco in the eyes and seeing shock, awe and something she didn't know how to feel about, hope. "I should leave around the beginning of next month because the second week of May is when mating season starts for us Phoenixes."

You could have heard a Beli drop.

"Excuse me, I think I heard you wrong. Did you just say you are a Phoenix too?" Thatch asked. Tearing her eyes away from Marco's confused ones she looked around the table at all the faces of disbelief. Looking back at Thatch Erika stood from her chair and gave a nod and slight smile. "You heard correct. My Devil Fruit it that of a Chimera made up of a Dire Wolf, Phoenix, and Komodo Dragon. The fact that I have an evolved Fruit means that not only can I turn into the Chimera but each animal separately."

As she reiterated her powers she slowly took on her favorite form that combined all the facets within her being. First, she incorporated the ears, eyes, and fangs of her dire wolf form to be extending from her teeth and head, then she grew the strong tail of the Komodo dragon coming out from her tailbone as well as turning the skin on her forearms and whole hands into its armor-like scales and claws. Finally, she wreathed herself in golden fire, her Phoenix wings, the feathers being a range of green hues, coming out of her back and her legs from the knees down becoming that of her bird form.

"This, gentlemen, is what I am," Erika stated confidently, giving a flap of her wings and reducing the fire around her. "My Phoenix flames are what gave me the moniker Lady Golden Fire, and I have to admit that I'm quite fond of it." The changes done to her body were seamless, making it look as if they had always been there.

The Whitebeard Pirates sat in shock and awe for a few moments before Marco stood from his seat, as if in a trance. He slowly approached Erika and raised a hand to her colorful green wings, "This explains why Ace had shown little enthusiasm when I first showed him my form, yoi, being used to seeing such things from you. How do you have your wings coming from your back? My arms are what transform into my wings and while I can keep my hands to an extent it was hard to train for, yoi. To be able to have them come from my back instead…" his hand and arm at that point turned into the beautiful blue of his fiery feathered wing.

Nodding in understanding Erika answered as best she could. "Yes, Ace has seen me transform into all my forms since he was 10. I think I can have my wings coming from my back because that is where they appear when I am in my full Chimera form. When I transform into a Phoenix completely my arms become my wings just the same as yours." Marco nodded, looking a little disappointed. He changed back and sat back down, still looking a little shell shocked in the knowledge that another Phoenix was among them. The rest of the table seemed to be doing a little better.

"I knew that you had to be a spectacular woman, being Ace's big sister, this was something beyond the scope of my thoughts, however. It truly is amazing." Whitebeard said.

"Amazing's right. This is awesome!" Shouted Thatch. The murmurs of agreement that sounded form those around the table shocked Erika. She had never been this openly excepted before, only her Pack has ever shown to be so openminded. Turning back to her normal human form she turned to Ace as if to check that she was hearing right. He smiled warmly at her and nodded, gesturing for her to sit back down.

After seating and recentering herself with a sip of her coffee from the shock of their acceptance Erika said, "Given the situation we are facing currently I don't believe me going through a mating season on this ship, especially with Marco nearby, is a good idea." At the confused looks around the table, she looked to Marco. Most didn't talk about this part of eating a Zoan Fruit or the potential trouble it could lead to. As this was also his secret she was revealing she wanted him to have a say in the matter.

At his consenting nod, she explained further. "When he thought he was the only Phoenix alive Marco could focus somewhat during the season even though it still affected him, as I'm sure you all have seen." Seeing them nod, she continued. "Knowing I exist means that during the season he will be driven by his instincts to seek me out and court me and my instincts will demand that I except him knowing that he is the only other Phoenix in the world."

"I can understand that it seems like your instinct are sort of forcing you together but if you guys just have a couple of protected 'tumbles in the hay', as it were, then the problem is solved right? You guys are adults and it's not like either of you are ugly people." Thatch asked, giving a slightly perverted grin.

Giving a sarcastic chuckle Erika replied, "While some Zoans do that during mating season and it works perfectly fine for them, others like Marco and I need to be more careful. You see, certain animals mate for life, creating a what is called a pair bond between them that is similar to human marriage. Phoenixes fall into this category, as do Dire Wolves and Komodo Dragons. So while Marco might be a nice and good looking guy, I'm not about to tie myself in a form of marriage to someone I just met, thank you very much."

"And you are quite correct in not wanting to do so. You and Marco need to get to know each other more before he makes you my daughter-in-law! Guraguraguragura!" Whitebeard said. This made most at the table laugh as well while both Ace and Marco's heads snapped to him in shock.

"Pops!" they shouted. "That's my sister! You're not allowed to marry her off to Marco." Ace continued. Marco nodded before saying, "You can't just decide that we are to be mated, yoi! And you can't try to recruit her to the crew through it either."

"Oi, who said I was joining your crew, Old Man? I'm the Alpha of my own Pack, I'm not about to show throat and give up that leadership! I'm staying here right now to spend some time with my little brother and get to know those I'm entrusting to protect him when I can't. I will be leaving before mating season begins and the only reason I would come back after it has ended is if we haven't found Luffy yet or if Ace needs my help." Erika said.

"So what you're saying is that we have until you need to leave for your guys' season to convince you that you belong here with us?" Izo asked with a sly look.

"Nahahahahaha! You are welcomed to try but will tell you this, Ace got some of his stubbornness from growing up with me. If it took you a few months to get him to join how the hell do you think you can change my mind in only a couple of weeks?" Erika replied.

"Simple, my dear. By showing you that we can be Pack and family as well, that you need us, just as much as we need and want you, in our lives." Whitebeard said. "You might be stubborn but so are we. We know when someone is one of our own and do everything in our power to let them see it in return."

Erika looked at Whitebeard with a thoughtful frown on her face. She couldn't help believing him a little when he says those kinds of things with such honest eyes. However, she just could not see how she could join his crew while still maintaining the authority and independence she needed to be the Alpha of her Pack.

"Fair enough. You have until May 6th, the day I leave for the mating season, to show and prove to me that not only do you truly want me to belong and stay with you but that by doing so I will retain my authority as Alpha of my Pack. I would also need you to prove to me I will have the ability to leave, if needed, to check on and maintain said Pack members' protection and security." She stated finally.

"Guarguraguragura! Very well, I accept that challenge. When you leave on the 6th of May you will tell us honestly if we have proven ourselves and if we have then you will return to us at the end of the season and stay here on the Moby as a closely allied Captain of the Whitebeard Fleet. Agreed?"

Erika looked a little surprised at the proposed tittle before giving him a perfect D smile. "Agreed!"

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**A/N: Sorry I'm late with this chapter. I got out of work late last night and life threw me a curveball today. Hope you all enjoyed it, I had fun writing it! **


	6. Chapter 6

It had been almost a week since they had found out that Luffy and his crew were missing. The Moby had started sailing towards the Red Line at that time to pass under it back into Paradice. Erika was getting very antsy with no news coming in from the Whitebeard allies and it was starting to show in her temper. While she was still polite to most that she interacted with, some who asked her questions that she didn't want to answer or gave her any hassle got snapped at quite viciously. When it was brought to Marco's attention that she had even snapped on Ace when he was trying to calm her down he decided to help her vent her frustrations.

Finding Erika on deck near the figurehead he calmly walked up to her. He was surprised to see her smoking a cigarette, not know that she had the same habit as him. Coming to a stop next to her he pulled out a pack of his own and took one out. Lighting it up he took a deep drag and slowly let it out, enjoying the slight buzz the nicotine sent through his system. While he didn't smoke as much as others on board he did have a few a day to help him stay calm.

Turning to Erika Marco said, "I didn't realize you smoked as well, yoi. When did you start?"

Taking a hit herself she answered as she exhaled, "I was about 11 or 12 when I first started up, stealing them from our foster mother. She had to have been about a two-pack a day chain smoker, especially with all us brats running around and causing trouble for her. It took a year or so for me to pick the habit up completely, at that point I was smoking about a pack a week, which was as much as I could reasonably steal at the time." She chuckled, taking another hit. "Now I'm up to about a pack every few days. The boys never understood why I felt the need to smoke and part of me is glad of that. The stress of being the oldest and trying to be the most responsible… I think you know how it can feel." She said looking to his cigarette with a raised eyebrow.

Marco gave a nod as he brought his cigarette to his lips, taking a drag, "Yeah, I might know a thing or two about that kind of feeling, yoi." He said before blowing the smoke out. "While we have our Pops, I'm the "oldest" sibling, as I was the one to first call him Pops, so everyone comes to me with any problems they have. I love my family and will always try to help them but sometimes I feel like I need a vacation, yoi." Erika laughed with him when he said that.

"Little brothers can be such a hassle, can't they? They drive you to insanity with their antics but when you are away from them you miss them with such an intensity that it can steal your breath away." She said with a faraway look, taking her last hit before tossing the butt into the sea. "The mere thought of them being hurt can make your blood boil like nothing else in the world, and you will tear that same world apart just to protect them."

Marco sighed, "That's what makes us older siblings, yoi. This will to do what we must to protect those we call family." Seeing her nod he took one last hit before throwing the rest of his cigarette away. "Follow me?" he asked her. She looked questioningly at him before nodding again. Marco turned and quickly made his way to the stern deck where there was a training area set up for those who wanted to work out in the good weather. It was relatively clear at this time a day, as most were doing chores, but that just made it easier for him to set it up for the two of them.

Turning to Erika once he had cleared about a 50-foot section out for them he raised a brow. "You need to let off some steam and I was promised a spar, yoi." He smirked and mocked a bow, "May I have this dance, my dear Golden Lady?"

Erika gave off a genuine laugh before sending Marco a smirk of her own. "Such a gentleman, how could one refuse?" she asked sarcastically, stepping into the "ring" those now watching made. Rocking her head from side to side, stretching her neck out, she bounced on her toes lightly. "Rules?" she asked, doing some torso twists.

Marco nodded as he watched her, "Yeah, we go until the other can't move for 10 seconds or calls out 'Moby' to give up, yoi. You can use anything you got as long as it doesn't hurt those watching and no killing blows." Erika nodded in compliance and got in a starting position. Marco glanced around and spotted Jozu walking up to the crowd. "Oi, Jozu. Wanna count us in, yoi?" The larger man gave a stern nod and once both opponents seemed ready he counted down from five.

When the word one left Jozu's mouth Erika made her move, sprinting across the space separating them quickly and launching a high kick aimed for Marco's chest. Marco dodged to the left and kicked out his leg, trying to sweep her left leg out from under her while she had all her weight on it. Seeing what he was doing Erika lept over his attack and spun to aim a punch at his left cheek. Blocking the blow with his forearm Marco made to kick his right leg out to catch her in the gut but she flipped back to dodge it and ran right back in close for another punch.

This is how the fight kept going for the next 20 minutes, each blocking or dodging each other's attacks, never landing a solid hit. Both were showing great speed and agility and seemed evenly matched so far. Erika then surprised everyone, Marco, especially, when she lept up in a spin and hit him in the face with a four-foot tail made of pure muscle. He was knocked a few feet away, landing on his back before quickly rolling to his feet. Looking to her, Marco could see she had a smirk on her face while her tail lazily swung behind her.

"You seemed surprised Marco. Did you not say that anything went?" She asked as she morphed her hands to the sharply clawed ones of the Komodo Dragon to match her tail. She then raised her hand and made a "come here" motion with one of her claws, still smirking all the while. Giving her a smirk of his own, he lit his shoulders on fire before charging at her. Their fight resumed with sparks flying, punches and kicks were exchanged at a furious pace and both were smiling wolfishly, seeming to be enjoying themselves greatly.

Another 15 minutes had passed before Marco had got a good enough hit in that made Erika go flying toward the watching, now grown, crowd. At the last moment, she sprouted her gorgeous green wings from her back and flapped them hard enough to stop her momentum and hover over those she almost landed on. She then shifted in the air and used her wings to dive straight at Marco, spinning at the last moment to land a kick right to his chest. As she landed and retracted her wings she heard the whispering of those around them. Looking she could see awe and confusion and smell the tangy scent of fear. Taking a breath and backing up slightly she looked to Marco with a sad smile before resuming her fighting posture, getting ready for his next attack.

Not understanding what happened to sadden her so soon after having such an energetic smile on her face, Marco took a look around them and saw the gossiping spectators. Annoyed that they had seemed to upset Erika he said, "Oi, don't you louts have anything better to do than stand around all day, yoi? I know a good portion of you got chores to do, so get to 'em!" Hearing Marco yelling at them, a bunch of the men stood straight and then ran off, presumably to do the chores they had been slacking on. Marco then turned back to his sparring partner only to be surprised by the slightly watery yet shining smile that she was now giving him.

"Shall we continue this dance another time, yoi?" he asked. At her choked laugh and nod he led her away from what was left of the crowd. "Are you ok, yoi?" he asked gently, not wanting to upset her further and bring attention to her from those still around them. He heard her sniff slightly before she said, "Yeah, I'm used to that kind of reaction by now and to be honest they aren't the reason I'm like this." She said, waving to her face to indicate she was talking of her tears. That confused him, not seeing any other reason for her to cry.

Erika must have sensed his confusion because she continued, saying quietly, "I've never had anyone other than my boys to defend me when the whispers happen and it's been about 5 years since they had been around to do so. Having someone I only met a week ago jump to my defense was just surprising and reminded me of how much I had missed having someone there for me."

Understanding now Marco said, "Well if you stay with us you be able to be with Ace all the time, yoi. You will also have a bigger support structure then you ever had before. The guys were just shocked, yoi. I promise that by the end of the day that they will either be supportive or as excited about it as Thatch was." He was glad to hear her chuckle at his last comment. "We take care of our own, yoi. That includes protecting them from the gossip of others if need be."

"I know you guys want me to join you and there are quite a few upsides to doing so, I just don't know if I could be a part of something so big as this. Take the upcoming season, for example, I have three of them. Do you think I should be around so many during my seasons or you during May?" Erika asked, stopping and turning to face him. Marco could see that her eyes were still a little red but that she had stopped crying.

Thinking over what she had said he gave a nod to her logic, "While I would say that we need to avoid being on the same ship this May, yoi, if you do end up joining us we can take next year as it comes. As for your other seasons, when are they and how long do they normally last? We can figure out something for them if we need to, yoi. Like I said before, we will take care of you, in all aspects that we need to."

Erika tilted her head to the side as she looked up to him and Marco couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. Her eyes were shining like emeralds and her hair glistened gold in the sun. While he agreed that mating with each other this season should be avoided he had a thought in the back of his mind that he wouldn't mind being mated to her.

"Mating season for the Dire Wolf lasts about 2-3 weeks and has already past this year in January. Komodo Dragon's season is in mid-August to mid-September, typically lasting a full month." She answered. "So that would mean me leaving in January, May, and August at least, plus any time I would need to see Sabo or Luffy. Would Whitebeard really allow that if I were to stay with you?" Erika asked in return as she started to move toward the galley for lunch.

"Yes, he would. He already stated that you would join as an allied Captain, not as a crewmate. As an Ally, you would be free to leave the ship whenever you needed and stay with us however long you want. That's why Pops said it the way he did, so you could still have the liberty to be the Alpha of your Pack yet be a part of us at the same time." He answered.

"I see, that would be ideal if I were to join. However, I'm still not convinced I should." She gave a sly smile. "The explanation was a good try to convince me though, and I greatly appreciate you coming to my defense earlier. You have done more to convince me today alone than anyone else has in the week I have been here. Well, save for Thatch's cooking, if that's how he cooks all the time then I'll be visiting often for sure!" she said laughing brightly.

Marco laughed with her, understanding that all Ds had a special place in their heart for food. Her comment about him being the only one to really convince her that staying might be best both warmed his heart yet confused him. Did they leave her alone so much that she doesn't feel like she should come back to them at the end of their season? While Pops had said to give her a little bit of time to settle in he didn't think that everyone would just leave her be for a week. Deciding to talk to the others later he put the thought out of his mind for now.

Reaching the galley finally they both got their food before sitting with the rest of the commanders at the head table. Marco took a seat across from Izo while Erika took the seat between him and Ace, they greeted those around them before starting in on their food. Ace had looked up a moment to acknowledge his sister only to do a double-take when he saw her eyes were slightly red.

"Why are your eyes red? They only get like that when you cry. Why were you crying?" he started asking in both panic and anger. His questions didn't go unnoticed and everyone who heard immediately turned to look at Erika.

A little uncomfortable with the attention she answers him anyway, "There was a bit of an incident when I transformed during my spar with Marco. I'm fine now though, I promise." She laid a hand on his shoulder to try to calm the temper that she could see starting to build.

"What kind of incident? You wouldn't cry for no reason Rika, I know you to well to believe that everything is fine if it made you cry." Ace said back.

"Some of the guys watching were just a little shocked from her having both a tail and wings, yoi. They started to gossip and when I saw I sent them off to finish their chores. That's all, Ace, no need to worry, yoi." Marco broke in giving a look for Ace to drop it, trying to move the subject along. It seemed like he didn't want Erika to have to explain why she really had cried in front of everyone, thinking it was too personal. She appreciated him all the more for that.

Seeing Marco's look and glancing around him Ace gave a slight nod. He leaned in and whispered to Erika "When we are alone you will tell me what happened right?" When she nodded he went back to inhaling his food.

When it was clear that the subject was closed for discussion Izo lent forward and asked, "Erika do you have anything planned for this afternoon?"

Looking up from her food she shook her head, "No, not really. I've helped Ace catch up on basically all of his paperwork and we don't have any plans for his men until tomorrow. Why?"

"Well, I was hoping that we might be able to head down to your ship and take a look at all your wonderful fur pelts. I still want to buy some off of you and make them into some fabulous coats." Izo answered, sitting back with his cup of tea.

"Ah, that's right! Of course, once we are done here we can head down if that's alright with you?" Erika asked. Izo nodded enthusiastically.

Marco asked, "Would you mind if I tagged along? I have to say that I'm quite curious about your ship, she would have to be quite sturdy for you to be able to sail her on your own in any part of the Grand Line."

"Well, I don't mind giving you a tour. I have a lot of faith in the Valkyrie, she has been my companion on many adventures over the past 5 years and hasn't let me down yet!" Erika said with pride.

Thatch joined the group at that point, asking Erika about the places she has been to. She described some of the islands that she has visited and explored over the years. She spun tails of powder-fine white beaches, massive forests with monstrous animals to hunt, towns that seemed to party 24/7, and the battles she has fought along the way.

"Why did you decide to become a pirate? If you don't mind my asking?" Izo questioned.

"Well, it started as a way to find Elbaf and any possible relatives I might have there on my father's side." Erika started. "But as I started to explore the world around me as I traveled it became so much more! Growing up as we did," here she looked to Ace, who by now was snoring face first in his plate of food. "We saw mostly the cruelty the world can offer to those less fortunate. We only found beauty in the bond that we shared and the freedom the sea could give us. I set out at 19 and suddenly I found beauty in almost everything around me. Seeing everything the world has to offer, both good and bad, has become part of my dream now." She finished as she gently moved Ace's head so he could breathe a little better, just as she did when he was younger.

"It sounds like you have been to a lot of amazing places." Thatch commented.

"Oh, that I have, as well as places that I hope to never see again. As I said, the world holds great beauty, but it also has great evil as well." Those listening nodded in understanding. Each has seen and experienced their fair share of the world's evils.

Finishing up her first tray of food, Erika got up to switch it out for another. As she sat back down she said, "Moving on to less depressing subjects, how long until we reach Dura Island?"

"Oh, we do not need to stop there. We have a stock of bubble coating on each of our ships and quite a few of our shipwrights know how to properly coat them. We would just need to stop once more to stock up on supplies and while there they can coat the ships. Once close enough to the Red Line we can just dive from there." Haruta explained.

"Hmm, that's quite useful. The coating enginers on Dura always charge too much anyway. I would expect that just coating the Moby Dick, given her size, would cost thousands, not to mention the four paddle ships you have." She replied.

"Yeah, we were paying out the ass to coat the ship until Blamenco came up with the idea of just learning how to do it himself. He and Blenheim talked to a friend of ours on Fishman Island who coats ships and he was happy to teach them how. They, in turn, taught some of the guys under their command, so now we have about 20 people in the Fleet that can bubble coat the ships whenever we need to." Haruta explained.

Erika nodded, "Ok, then when are we stopping to stock up?"

"We should reach one of our stock islands by this time in two days, yoi. We will stay there for the two days it takes for the guys to get the ships ready for submersion and then head straight to the Red Line from there." Marco said.

"Any opportunities for hunting on this stock island?" Erika asked. "If I can get a couple of decent kills it will help with food and I can get more pelts for Izo." She explained further when given questioning looks.

"Oooh, that's a great idea!" Izo exclaimed, "The forest and animals aren't that big, but you should be able to hunt a bit while we are there."

"Yeah, any animals you get we can easily cure properly and I'm sure I can make some good meals out of them." Thatch chimed in.

"Excellent!" Erika said. She then looked to her still sleeping brother and nudged him awake. "Oi, nap time is over Flame-Brian. Eat the rest of your food before I steal it from you." At the word food Ace suddenly jumped up.

"Huh? Food?" he slurred sleepily. He looked down to his plate and began to start eating again, acting like he hadn't been sleeping on the table for the past 15 minutes.

"When we next dock you and I are going hunting, Ace. I want to get some more pelts and more meat never hurt anyone." Erika told him.

"Me and you running wild in a forest again? Sounds almost perfect to me!" came his muffled reply, mouth full.

Erika shook her head at him with an indulgent smile. She turned to Izo and Marco and said, "I'm good to go if you guys are done?" They both nodded their heads and got up, Erika following them.


	7. Chapter 7

They made their way out of the galley and down the long hall, heading for the stairs to go down to the tenner deck. On the way down Izo was asking her what kind of animal pelts she had collected so far and what she liked hunting the most.

"Well, I hunt a wide range of animals, basically anything that can give a decent amount the food. From deer and rabbits to bears, boars, and tigers, maybe a crocodile here or there if I come across one. I always use as much as I can from the carcass, taking what is edible or useful and selling the rest to traders. I try to keep a variety of pelts and skins, to use for clothes, blankets or decoration. I can always sell them if I'm short on cash as well." She explained.

"Right now I think the majority of the pelts that I have are bear, tiger, deer, and the furs of probably 20 different rabbits." Erika went on to say as they walked through the doors to the tenner deck. Making their way through the docked ships to the Valkyrie she added, "I also want you to take a look at a coat I tried to make. It was a patchwork job I put together when I needed something warm, I figure you can remake it for me so it would fit right and actually look decent. Nahahahaha!"

"Oh, that shouldn't be a problem! I think I know just the right style to fit your body too. After we work out what pelts I can buy we can head to my room to get the measurements and styling ideas done." Izo replied excitedly.

"Ah, here, she is. You're looking as beautiful as always, Val." Erika said as she boarded her ship. She always got a warm and comforting feeling from the Valkyrie, no matter the situation.

"She is quite a beautiful ship, yoi, and a strong one to carry you through all the Grand Line," Marco said. "I'm curious about the symbol you have as your Flag and figurehead though. What does it mean, yoi?" he continued.

"That is the symbol of the Valkyrie, warrior women in the northern parts of Elbaf where my father was from. They are both highly respected and revered there and Garp told me that when I was born my father said I would grow up to match their legacy, like all the other women in his family." Erika explained to him. "I may not remember my parents, but I take pride in them and the culture they descended from. It is why I carry my mother's name and try to adhere to what traditions I can from Elbaf."

Marco nodded his head in understanding. "The tattoo on your arm, is it from that as well?" he asked.

She nodded her head. "Yes, it's runic writing from the same territory. The symbols running the length of my forearm from elbow to wrist mean protection, love, hope, heart, grace, and strength." She said, pointing each rune out as she named it. "On my inner wrist are the letters E, A, S, and L, representing my brothers and myself. On the other side is the symbol for the protection of the family." Erika had a loving smile on her face as she described her tattoo.

Looking up she saw that both commanders were smiling back at her in perfect understanding. They were silent a moment more, each thinking of the family that they love and cherish. Shaking themselves out of their revery, each chuckling as they did so, they began a short tour of the boat. Erika explained how she came across the ship a few months after she set out on her adventure and instantly fell in love with it. All the modifications she made to the ship were done by her hand, blending well with the original craftsmanship.

Once done exploring the top deck they ventured into the wheelhouse. Here the two commanders found a small kitchen and dining area big enough for two or three people to fit comfortably as well as the wheel of the craft to the front behind a panel of windows. Next to it was a low built-in table holding maps and charts, obviously the navigation hub of the craft. In the corner of the room was a spiral stairwell leading to the deck below.

The second deck was a long hallway to one side of the ship leading to all the different rooms that made up the rest of the deck. To the rear of the ship was the small bathroom, made up of only a shallow basin on a pedestal, a tub, and a toilet that had a piping system leading the waste out of the ship.

"That's quite a smart design for this type of ship. What do you do, pull a lever and the waste is dumped into the sea?" Izo asked.

"Pretty much. It's sealed from the inside so no water can get into the ship from here, even in pretty bad storms. The leaver controls the sealing mechanism so it can only be opened from here." Erika explained.

"Ingenious, yoi. Did you come up with it, or was it part of the original design?" Marco asked as they returned to the hallway.

"It was part of the original design, one of the reasons why I fell in love with her. You can't normally find plumbing systems on smaller vessels." She answered.

The next room in the hall was Erika's bedroom, probably the nicest room in the ship. It had a bolted down single bed in the right-hand corner and opposite that was a built-in desk and shelf. A tall dresser stood next to the desk and a flat chest acted as both a bedside table and extra storage. A bearskin rug took up a good portion of the floor and other pelts were draped across the bed as blankets. Nicknacks and tapestries decorated the shelving and walls, giving the room a homey and warm feeling.

"Izo was right, this room looks nice, yoi. The furs give it a homey feeling and you can see all the things you have gathered in your travels." Marco said as he looked around.

"Thank you," Erika said as she opened the chest. "Here Izo, take a look through this chest and if you find any pelts or skins you like lay them out on the bed here. Once you have what you want we can talk about prices. Marco, this might take a bit so if you want to go on ahead and look at more of the ship that's fine, although it's mostly just cargo."

Marco gave a nod of his head and left the room. "Wonderful!" Izo said, diving for the chest as soon as Erika was out of the way. "Where did you learn how to make pelts like this? They are quite good quality." He asked as he dug through the items in question.

"Well, I first started making pelts when I was 9 or 10, using some as blankets and selling the others for what I could. They started quite shoddy, of course, but after doing it for almost 15 years I've become very good at it. I taught Ace and Sabo how to make them as well when they were old enough to help me hunt so if you need more while I'm gone you can bug Ace for them. He might not be as good as me, given he probably hasn't made some in a few years but I'm betting he can still make a decent pelt." Erika explained.

"Well, that's convenient and I might have to ask him about it. Will you give him a refresher when you go hunting soon?" at her nod he continues, "You have so many here, it's hard to choose what ones I want. I only have so much I can spare for this." Izo finished with a slight pout.

"Well, let's take a look at what you have so far and I can give you a price so you can see how much more you can get. It's easy for me to get more so you don't have to worry about wiping me out of my stock." Erika said, walking over to the bed. She started to go through all the pelts that Izo had chosen so far and calculated how much she would sell them for.

"Let's see. You have two bearskins so that's 500 beli, four deer pelts at 60 beli each, two pelts of twenty rabbit skins add another 800 beli and a tiger skin at 400 beli equal to 1940 beli total." Erika said.

"What!? That's all? Buying this at a shop would mean spending 4000 beli or more for the amount I have!" Izo exclaimed in shock.

"Yes, well it doesn't cost me much to make them so I don't see why I have to charge you an outrageous amount. Besides, you said you would make me a coat as well." She reasoned.

"The coat hasn't anything to do with the price of the pelts! I would have made you one anyway just as a thank you for selling them to me." Izo said. "I couldn't buy these for that low a number, it just isn't fair to you!"

"It's more than fair! I spent probably 100 beli in total to make all these and will profit 1840 beli when I sell them to you. That's plenty enough!" Erika said back.

"I still think you set the price too low for the quality these pelts are," Izo replied with a sniff. He then turned back to the chest to grab five more pelts. "Add these as well if those are what your prices are going to be."

"Ok. So that's another bearskin at 250, a tiger skin at 400, and three fox pelts at 40 each. That adds 770 beli making your new total 2710 beli for all of it." She said.

"Very well then. Here," Izo said as he pulled out a pouch and tried to hand it to Erika. "this should have enough for all the pelts."

"Oh no. I know a pouch like that can hold up to 5000 beli easily. Your total is way below that, I'm not going to take more than what you owe." Erika said, backing up a step and putting her hands to her hips. "You're a pirate are you not? Take the bargain!"

"All these pelts are worth more than 5000 beli, giving you this much is still way below the price I would pay at a store. You're a pirate too, so take the extra I'm offering!" Izo shot back trying to give her the pouch again.

At this point Marco walked back into the room, raising a brow at the obvious tension in the room. "What are you arguing about, yoi?" he asked.

"Your brother insists on overpaying for the pelts he wants." Erika said at the same time Izo replied with, "Erika is being unreasonably low on the prices of the pelts she's selling."

Looking confused Marco walked to the bed to check out the pelts for himself. "How much are you asking for the lot of them Erika?" he asked as he combed through the picks, a little surprised at their quality.

"2710 beli." She answered.

"Really, yoi?" he asked, looking up at her in surprise. Even he understood that furs of this quality and amount should cost closer to 5500 to 6000 beli.

"Yes. I understand that they are good quality and that a store would sell them for much higher, but I'm not a store. I'm selling to a friend and getting a coat out of it as well." Erika replied.

"Hmmm. I see. Izo, how much did you offer to pay for them?" he asked his ship brother.

"About 4500 beli." Was the reply, Izo looking quite upset. While he seemed to understand that she wanted to give him a discount as a friend and for the work he will be doing, later on, he still felt that he wasn't paying her enough. There was discounting and then there was practically giving it way.

Humming again in thought, looking between the pelts and the two of them Marco finally nodded his head, "Izo will pay 3500 beli for the pelts, yoi. It's still a greatly discounted price, a little over half, compared to what he would pay in a store, yet high enough for the actual quality of the skins." He looked at them sternly, "I heard the last bit about you both being pirates, yoi, so this is both a bargain and extra money. Problem solved, moving on."

Both sighed before giving reluctant nods. Izo took out the extra amount and then handed the pouch over to Erika, who in return stacked all the pelts up and motioned for Izo to grab them.

"Give me a moment to grab my patchwork coat and put this away, I'll meet you guys up top." She said as she walked out of the room. Slipping quickly into the last room in the hall, the cargo hold, she walked to the far left corner and opened the hidden trap door. The small room under the floor is where she kept most of the treasures she had collected over the years. While not rich by any means, she was well off for a lone pirate.

Closing up the hatch and leaving the room Erika made her way back to her room to grab her coat. On her way, she passed her spare room between the cargo hold and her bedroom. This is where she had kept Teach locked away on their trip while Ace had camped out on the rug in her room. Once she grabbed her coat she made her way up to the Valkyrie's top deck. There she met with the two commanders and they made their way off the boat and back onto the tenner dock. From there they went up to the commander's quarters, Marco splitting off for the main deck while Izo and Erika headed for his bedroom.

The commander's room was a little bigger than her room on the Valkyrie. He had a similar layout with a bolted down bed and a desk across from it but had a vanity next to the desk full of all the makeup and hair supplies needed for his daily routine. There was a narrow doorway tucked into the corner next to his vanity that could only lead to a small closet. Next to his bed was a nightstand and on the other side of that was a hutch filled with fabrics and materials used for designing clothes. On the walls around the room were tapestries from different countries depicting beautiful scenes of nature in bold colors.

Once there Izo dropped the pelts onto his bed and turned to Erika. "Now, I need you to give me a rough idea of how you want the coat to hang on you and how long you want it to be." He said.

"Well, I'd like it to come to my mid-calf and have full-length sleeves. I don't really care if it fastens in the front or if it's made with other materials but I would like the collar to be fully furred and come up my neck a bit." Erika said. Izo nodded his head as he looked over the coat that she handed him.

"For a novice in clothing making, this isn't terribly done. I can undo the seems and reuse quite a bit of it in other items or your new coat. But I know exactly what you were going for. My next question is what type of fur do you want me to use? You have quite a few different ones here."

"Oh!" Erika started, "I don't know, perhaps rabbit? I know I have quite a bit in that coat already and I've found it to always be warm and soft."

"Wonderful." Izo turned to the hutch and grabbed his measuring tape. "Let's get you measured and then I can start sketching out the design I'm thinking off for your coat. Sound good?" He asked as he approached her.

"Yeah, sounds great," Erika replied.

Izo then stepped in front of her, wrapping the measuring tape around the width of her shoulders. "Now this may feel a little invasive but it's just to make sure I get the proper fit on you. I will have to take a few different measures at different angles to be sure to get it right."

"I get it, it's no problem." She replied, watching him take notes down of each number he needed. Izo ended up measuring across her shoulders, down her arms, around her chest, waist, and hips, as well as the length from her shoulders to mid-calf. Once he was done he put the tape to the side and sat at his desk chair with a blank sheet of paper.

"So this is the design I was thinking. On the inside of the coat, I would use a soft, thick dark-colored flannel to help insulate against the cold. The collar will be made up of white rabbit fur, trailing down the front edges as well as the trim. It will have a nice wide hood to protect your head from the wind and the full outside can either be a light brown or grey fur or a different colored flannel with some furred design on it." Izo explained as he drew out the separate designs. "What do you think?"

"Hmm, I love the idea of the white fur trim and the contrasting colors sound perfect. The hood would come in handy in the cold and I could just lower it if it became a hindrance in a fight. I can't decide on what I want for the outside, though." Erika replied, focusing intently on the drawings. She tilted her head from side to side a couple of times, trying to make a desition. She brightened suddenly, saying, "How about we put a dark grey or black flannel on the inside and then a medium forest green color on the outside with a dark to medium brown-furred design trailing around my shoulders like the animal is draped like a scarf?"

Izo thought about it a moment before nodding his head, "Yes… yes! I can see what you mean and it would look stunning on you. It's Elbafian tradition to wear the fur of your hunts is it not?"

"Yes. It's the main reason why I try to have a fur piece on some part of my clothing, most often my collars, as much as possible. I've had ideas of other ways to add them but I just never knew how, like adding a bit of fur to my boots or belt." Erika replied with a sigh.

"Oh, well I can do that. But if I may suggest another idea?" at her nod he continued. "If we get you longer socks or even a type of leg warmers, I can just add the fur to those so they can show over the tops of your boots. That way you can have the fur when it's cold but not overheat on summer islands."

"Yeah, I can see how that might be better. Great idea!" Erika exclaimed excitedly. "How long do you think it would take you to make the coat? Will you need any help with it?"

"Oh, well I have all the fabrics and other materials I would need for it already so I would say about a week and a half given all I have to do as a commander. If you want to join me and maybe learn how to do some of this yourself then I have no problems with that. It might even bring the time down to a week." Izo replied with a smile.

"Excellent! I normally travel to colder climates during my Phoenix's season to help lessen the effect it has on me. Having this new coat will help tremendously." She said with a relieved smile.

Izo gave a smile back before getting a slightly curious look on his face, "Now tell me if I overstep my bounds on this, but what is it typically like for you during mating season? While the commanders and Pops know about it, Marco never has gone into the specifics of what is happening to him. We just see that he is more hyperaware for a while and then quite moody for the rest of the month before going back to his usual semi-stoic self."

Erika was a little shocked at the question but recognized it as normal human curiosity rather than Izo being rude. "Well, most Zoans don't talk much about our seasons as we can get a lot of strange looks for having such an animalistic side, even in our human forms. I got quite a few disparaging looks from the villagers of my island when I spoke of it when I first started going through the seasons. If Marco had experienced anything similar in his past I can understand why he has never spoken of it in detail, even if it was to his family members. Only my Pack knows what I go through during seasons, and that's mainly because they had been there with me when I first started them."

"I understand. If it's too personal and you don't want to talk about it that's completely fine. I just wished to understand more about what my family is going through." He said with his hands raised.

"No, it's fine. I get that you are just curious." Erika said quickly. She backed up a few steps and sat down on the man's bed. Heaving a sigh she started to explain. "Each of my seasons is different in a way. The need to mate is always the same but the way my instincts tell me to go about finding and courting said mate is what's different. As I said before, I have a Alpha personality, therefore I can't bring myself to mate with someone who isn't also an Alpha, a problem in itself." She groaned leaning back on her elbows on the bed to look at the ceiling.

"For my Dire Wolf form, I go into heat for about 3 weeks. When it comes I will become hyperaware and vigilant, looking for any viable match for a mate for about the first week. If I find someone who could fit me then I become extremely horny and even slightly possessive of them. Now I normally remove myself from the situation, no matter how uncomfortable it is, and then my inner she-wolf gets quite depressed that I didn't find a mate. If I were to give in to my instincts then I would approach the male Alpha, tell him of the situation, and give him a courting present, like a successful hunt. If he is interested he would reciprocate in a way that shows me that he can be a good mate to me. If I except them we would mate and during it, I would leave a permanent bite on him signifying exactly what we are."

"So Dire Wolves form, what was it, a pair bond?" Izo asked, intrigued.

"Yes. That's why I normally avoid contact with males around that time. The last thing I want is to be tied to someone I don't love, let alone a stranger." Erika replied.

"Is it the same with your other seasons?" he asked further.

"It's a little more complicated for the Phoenix's season. I've known about Marco for the past six years, so my instincts screamed each year for me to find him and start the mating process, which in and of itself is more in-depth than that of the Dire Wolf. Courtship can be seen in the form of giving brightly colored gifts, 'dancing' and flying around to impress a potential mate, as well as building a nest. We do this all while giving off a pheromone stating they we are healthy and ready to mate. This is mostly done by the male but a female can start it by presenting her tail feathers or ringlets to him, showing she is willing to be courted. Mating during Phoenix season is less volatile but no less permanent than that of the Dire Wolf." Erika cracked a smile when she heard Izo giggling.

"Oh, Great Seas! I couldn't imagine Marco the Stiff trying to Court you like that." He hooted. "Small gifts is his style aand I could see him doing that, but dancing and flying around to show himself off and building a nest?! He would never live it down!" he continued while chuckling.

Erika fully flopped onto her back on the bed, heaving a big sigh as she did so. "If I attempt to say here during our season that's what you will see, and it's not exactly voluntary on our part. While we can hold back to a certain degree, being in limited proximity to each other will eventually wear us down." Erika explained further.

"You've never seen him act too out of character before during our season because he was never aware of my existence as another Phoenix. While we can and will mate with someone that isn't a Zoan at all let alone similar to us, the closer to our animal form our mate is the more our instincts push for us to be with them. The fact that we are both Phoenixes and of the opposite sex compounds the feeling greatly."

Here Erika sat up and looked directly at Izo. "When I first saw him transform the day we met my instincts immediately told me that I must stay by him as much as possible and claim him for my own. If you ask him, Marco would probably tell you that he felt the need to stay near me for some reason when we first met, which he now understands why."

Tilting her head to the door, as if seeing through all the wood to the top deck beyond, she said "Now that he knows he will become much more alert and desperate to any trace of my presence. He will have to hold himself back from leaving to search for me, maybe even needing to be held back as the feeling will be new and very strong. If he does hold off on coming for me he will become increasingly depressed and withdrawn for not having a mate again this year, especially after meeting me. The distance between us will make it both easier and harder for us to stay in control."

"I see what you mean. While I truly hope you find a home here with us I don't want that to be the main reason why." He said in return. "Is your Komodo Dragon form as high maintenance as well?"

"No, thank the Seas. My Komodo Dragon season is much less stressful as they are normally loners in the wild. While they do form pair bonds when mating there are no specifics to the courtship. The male would just fight the female for the right to mate her and if he wins he mounts her. The only real downside to this is that I get highly aggressive to any male not seen as a family member around that time of year." She said looking forward again. "At any other time during the year, I can take a tumble with a guy and will only need to worry about pregnancy, which I'm always careful about."

"Well, there's a plus side!" Izo declared. "Now what will happen when you eventually find your mate? Will you need more than one because of your Devil Fruit or will it just be the one and done?"

"Oh no! It's just the one and done. That's one of the main reasons why I'm being so cautious about who I will mate with. I want to make sure that they will be able to cater and handle me in all of my forms, human and animal alike." Erika said with a smile. "If I ever find this impossible man you better believe he will never get the chance to leave once I know it's truly him!" she laughed.

Izo laughed along, "Possessive much?" he asked with a smirk.

"Nahahahaha! I'll become quite possessive of my mate if I find one. And if I get even the slightest hint of a threat against them I will be so aggressive you won't even know what to do with me. When you finally find someone who can compete with and complete you at the same time, you should do everything in your power to keep them by your side." Erika said with a sad grin. "You must understand that to a Zoan, our mate will be our world. Everything we do after we have found our mate is to keep them, and any children we have, safe and happy, nothing more and nothing less."

"Sounds similar to some human families," Izo commented.

"For those who are smart and think with their hearts, yes. Unfortunately, most people are corrupted by hate, greed, and pride, leading to the suffering of family members. My mate will become the Alpha male of the Pack, I need to make sure that everyone fits together and things run smoothly for the good of our family as a whole. That's another reason why I'm so cautious about my seasons. I can't bring someone ill-suited to me and the Pack into it. Doing so would destroy us from the inside."

Izo nodded in understanding. "Thank you for opening up to me about this. I can better help Marco now. Help you both if I need to."

Erika smiled at him. "It was no problem. It's nice to openly talk about my Devil Fruit and not have to worry about being ridiculed or have the information used against me."

"None of us would ever do that." Izo declared. He seemed to think about it for a moment, "At least not in a harmful way. I can't promise that pranks and jokes won't happen, Marco has to deal with bird jokes on a daily basis, but we would never purposely do you harm." He finished.

"Nahahaha! Harmless pranks and jokes are just fine by me. I have three crazy Ototos I've looked after for years, I'm quite adept at handling those by now." Erika said in reply as they shared a contented smile. While family could be annoying, they also made life worth living. Being around others who understood that was refreshing, something she could get used to.


	8. Chapter 8

Erika couldn't believe her eyes when she read the newspaper the next morning. Her baka Otōto had done it again. He had shown up out of the blue in Sabaody with Rayleigh and caused a huge scene, punching another Tenryūbito as well, yesterday afternoon. He then vanished off the island with the old pirate before any Marine reinforcements could stop them. While she was quite proud of the picture of Luffy punching the Celestial Dragon, she couldn't help but worry over his reasoning for pulling such a stunt.

"What's so interesting in the paper this morning that you have barely touched your food?" asked Thatch, who was setting another plate down on the table next to Ace.

"I have very troublesome Packmates. It seems that they all live to give their Alpha heart attacks." She replied while setting the paper on the table. The commanders around her leaned over to take a look at the front page.

"Is that Luffy?!" Ace yelled in shock, almost choking on his food.

"Yep. He and Silvers Rayleigh showed up on Sabaody, caused a commotion and then hightailed it before the Marines could interfere." Erika answered. "I just can't seem to figure out why though. His ship must still be there and his crew is most likely still scattered, so why not lay low? I know he can be a reckless and impatient little shit but we taught him to think a little when faced against difficult situations."

"Hmm, let's move breakfast to the meeting room and discuss this further with Pops, yoi. We might be able to narrow down possible search locations from this at least." Marco said as he got up from the table.

They migrated to the meeting room, Kingdew stopping to get Whitebeard, who was sitting in his chair on deck, on the way. Once they were all seated and had been served their remaining breakfast copies of the paper was passed around.

"Why would Silvers go to such lengths for a rookie? I understand that he's a Supernova and shows good potential but to come out of hiding and put himself back in the spotlight for one man seems unlikely for him." Whitebeard said.

"You all know of Ace's background." Erika started. "I met Ray-san on Sabaody 4 years ago and asked him about his time as Roger's second. While he spoke I began to understand that Luffy is very much alike to the former Kaizoku-ō, although he is less rough around the edges. We struck up a fast friendship and when I first met up with Ace in Paradise, while he was still captain of the Spades, I told him of Ray-san." Here she turned to look at her brother.

Ace was looking down, a little ashamed of his former attitude it seems. "As you can imagine, I didn't react well to her telling me that she had become friends with former crewmates of the man who sired me. After giving me a thorough beat down Rika finally got it into my head that just because they had once been friends it did not mean that they were bad people." Looking up to his fellow commanders and ship-brothers he smiled.

"Ray-san was actually the one to coat our ship when we came to Sabaody and during that time he told me of my parents. It is through him that I started to understand that Roger wasn't as bad as I had been told and always thought growing up. While I can't call that man my father or ever see him as one," here he looked to Whitebeard with a smile, "With Ray-san and your help I've come to more except the man he was and that my place in this world is not dependent on the fact I have his blood within me."

Erika smiled at her brother, proud that he has grown so much. "I've named him as a friend of the Pack as a result of what he has done for us and told Ray-san about Luffy and his dream. Come to find out that Ray-san had heard of Luffy already from a mutual friend." Here both she and Ace cracked up a bit while those around them looked on in confusion. "Ray told me that he would take good care of Luffy for me when he eventually made his way to Sabaody to get his ship coated. While saving his crew is probably part of that promise I think Luffy must have done or said something to impress him for him to go to such lengths as this." She finished.

"Either way," started Vista, "We know that he is relatively safe and currently unharmed. Do we continue our search for him or do you trust Silvers enough to leave Luffy to his care?" he asked the siblings.

Erika leaned back in her chair as she thought. While she had been wanting to see Luffy and check on him, now more than ever, she understood that Luffy didn't want his elder siblings to help him during his quest for the throne. She looked to Ace as he scrutinized Luffy's picture in the paper. Seeing him squint at something she leaned into him, "What is it?" she asked.

"Luffy has some writing on his arm. 3D2Y along the length of his right bicep with the 3D crossed out. It don't look like a tattoo and he definitely didn't have it when I last saw him." He responded as he pointed it out to her.

"Hmm, I see what you mean. Luffy is a little too fickle to get a tattoo, he'd rather show off the battle scars he got in defense of the Pack or his crew." She said in response.

"Could this be a coded message?" Asked Curiel. "Getting in the paper with that on his arm to get a message out to his crew? Punching a World Noble means this has gone worldwide so no matter where they could be they would have a chance of seeing it."

"That true. We have done something similar in the past when we didn't have access to a secure Den Den home." Commented Haruta.

"Well Luffy isn't smart enough to think of that but Ray-san definitely is." Laughed Erika. "The next question is what the message means. Depending on that answer I can decide if we still need to find him or not."

A knock came at the door stopping any further comments. Everyone looked to Whitebeard to see what he would say. "You may enter!" he called out. A young man came in nervously, carrying Erika's white Den Den Mushi. "I'm sorry for interrupting the meeting Pops, Commanders, but Erika-misu's Den Den has a call and the guy is quite persistent that he talk to her right now." He said.

"That's quite alright, my boy. Come in and she can take the call here. If you wouldn't mind waiting outside to take it back when she is done?" Whitebeard asked.

"Oh, that wouldn't be a problem. I got Adam watching over our Den Dens while I'm out." He said as he set the snail down in front of Erika. She gave him a smile in thanks before he backed away and left the room. Once he was gone everyone looked toward Erika and the call on the line.

"Hello? Which one is this now?" Erika asked, surprising those around her.

"Which one? How many people have your Den Den number?" Came Sabo's voice on the other side of the line.

"Oh, hi Sabo. About four or five people do and all of them would call me in this type of situation, so I had to ask." She answered.

"Ah, I see. Well, I have some news and theories to share!" he said excitedly. "First, have you seen this morning's paper?"

"Yes, we have. We are currently in a meeting to go over what we can figure out from it as well as where we should go from here." Ace said from beside Erika.

"Excellent. Now for my good news, I've got one of the Strawhats here with me, Nico Robin. She was on Tequila Wolf in East Blue and had helped us free the people that were enslaved there to build the bridge just the other day. We promised her that we can take her back to Sabaody but the paper came in this morning."

"That's great Sabo! Is she with you right now? May I speak to her?" Erika asked excitedly, almost bouncing in her seat.

"Yes, I'm here Erika-misu." A new female voice came over the snail.

"Robin I presume? I'm glad that you have been found. Are you alright? Is Sabo treating you well?" Erika asked worriedly.

"Oh, the RA has treated all my wounds and Sabo has acted a complete gentleman. No need to worry." Robin responded with a slight chuckle.

"Good. Now could you please tell me exactly what happened on Sabaody? While we know the gist of it from the papers we still don't understand fully what went on."

"Of course. Our friends Cami, a Mermaid, and Hachan, an octopus Fishman, had brought us to Sabaody to meet with Rayleigh-san to get our ship coated. They were disguised while on land but some slavers had found out about Cami and kidnapped her. When we found her she was being sold off to a Tenryūbito in an auction house. As you can imagine Luffy was quite unhappy at the turn of events and went to break her out of the bowl they had her trapped in." Here Erika could hear Namur hiss under his breath in anger. She saw Rakuyo lay a hand on his shoulder to calm him slightly.

"Hatchan had tried to calm Luffy and get him to wait and think of another way than just rushing in. Unfortunately, he revealed his extra limbs and was shot by the very Noble to buy Cami… Luffy lost it." Here Robin paused for a moment. "We all knew the price of touching a Celestial Dragon and we all later agreed that if Luffy hadn't done something then any of us would have…"

"I understand and completely agree. No one has the right to hurt family, Nakama, or friends without facing retaliation, it's a belief that our family holds dear. I'm happy he has found like-minded people to be his Nakama." Erika said seriously. "Your friends? Are they alright?" she asked gently.

"Yes. After we had dealt with the Nobles and their guards Rayleigh-san, who had been posing as a slave to steal money to pay off his gambling debts, freed Cami from her collar. While Luffy and two other Supernova Captains took out the Marine squadron sent to the auction house he took Cami and Hatchan to Shaki's Rip-Off bar and treated him." Robin told them. "We ran into a new Marine weapon on the way to meet them there called Pacifistas, they look exactly like Shichibukai Kuma but are made of machinery and have a beam they shoot out similar to Kizaru's Pika Pika no Mi. We managed to dispatch the one we came across and make it to the Rip-off bar. After speaking with Rayleigh-san and learning it would take three days to coat the ship we decided to split up and wait out the storm we created and reconvene at the end of those days. As we left the bar to move the ship to somewhere safer Admiral Kizaru showed up with another Pacifista, we were hopelessly outmatched."

There was silence for a moment, everyone understanding how desperate the situation was for the rookie crew. "A small crew such as yours, it is understandable you were overwhelmed by an Admiral such as Kizaru," Whitebeard stated.

"Oh, I'm sorry but I don't recognize who just spoke, although they are quite correct," Robin said in slight confusion and suspicion.

"I'm sorry, I thought Sabo had told you before he called me. I am staying with the Whitebeard Pirates as of right now and we are currently in their meeting room with Whitebeard and all of his Commanders present. They are currently helping us to track down and possibly help Luffy and your other Nakama. The one who just spoke was Whitebeard." Erika explained.

"I see. In that case good morning Yonko-san and Commanders." Robin replied respectfully.

"Guraguragura! Good morning Nico Robin. I'm sorry for interrupting you, please continue on with your explanation." Whitebeard said.

"Of course. Our Vice, a swordsman named Zoro, was greatly injured in a prior battle when we faced off against the Warlord Moria in defense of a new crew member on our way through the Florian Triangle. He was still recovering from his wounds on Sabaody and Kizaru had taken advantage of that and was about to kill him when Rayleigh-san appeared and blocked his blow. We tried to use his distraction of the Admiral to escape but the real Bartholomew Kuma had shown up. He picked us off one by one while Luffy tried to defend us and buy us time to run." Robin's voice trailed off as she spoke of her crew being forcefully disbanded.

"That must have been difficult for you all. When I met with Luffy in Alabasta the crew were all quite dedicated to him and each other. I can't imagine it being any different with you or the other new members." Ace said quietly.

"It was and you are correct in saying we are a close-knit crew, which means we will do anything for each other and to stay together. What happened to us is just a setback, one that, it seems, needed to happen." Robin said, the snail showing a stoic face, yet her tone was slightly sad.

"Why am I not surprised Luffy went after another Shichibukai? Moria is the weakest of them now but still a pain to handle on his own turf." Erika said with a sigh and shake of her head. Getting back on point she asked, "What do you mean by the setback needing to happen, Robin? We had guessed that what he did yesterday was a way to get a message out to his crew, is it true?"

"Yes. The message on his arm states that instead of meeting back up in three days to continue on our journey as we had planned we will now meet in two years. With Luffy being seen with Rayleigh-san I can only assume that he is having us stop to train ourselves for these two years. Once we are stronger and better able to handle whatever the world may throw at us we will pick back up where we left off." She stated with a smile.

"This idea has Old Man Rayleigh's name all over it and I can't help but agree with him. You will only face bigger obstacles and stronger opponents here in the New World. If you can't at least hold off an Admiral as a group to escape, let alone defeat him as one, then you won't survive the Hell this side of the Grand Line is." Ace said.

"I think we all understand that now," Robin said softly.

"What will you do now that you are going to be separate from Luffy for two years?" Erika asked.

"After I told Sabo what the message means he offered to help me train. While I have some combat experience, most of my skills with my Devil Fruit are geared toward stealth and recon, things I needed to stay alive on the run. Now that I have found my Nakama I want to be able to help protect and defend them as much as they have for me." She replied and you could hear the strength of her resolve in her voice.

"Very well. I wish you good luck in your training. Sabo is a talented fighter and tactician, he should be able to get you to where you need to be by the time you need to depart. However, when not training he is to continue to treat you well, like family. If you have any problems with him you let me know right away. My boys need a firm hand to stay in line at the best of times, as I'm sure you have already figured out with Luffy." Erika said with a sly smile. She could hear Robin and all those around her chuckling, her from Sabo's reaction while the commanders laughed in understanding. They knew how Ace could be a kamikaze at times.

"Understood Erika-misu, though after dealing with Luffy I don't think handling Sabo will be such a hardship… he seems to be less energetic than my dear Senshô." She said giggling

"Quite. Now Sabo, do you have any other information for us before we continue with the meeting?" the blonde woman asked.

"Um, let's see. We have confirmed the location of one of the other Strawhats, Blackleg Sanji is on Iva-chan's island. From experience, I would say he is currently running away from and fighting the inhabitants to stay out of the dresses they keep trying to put him in." the snail showing the grimace on his face. Erika could hear Ace chuckling beside her at their brother's past misfortune.

"Since Ivankov is still in Impel Down," Sabo continued, "Caroline is the interim ruler and I assume they will come to some sort of agreement about him staying there once he sees the paper. If needed I can have someone contact her and tell them the situation and have them help him. That's all I've got as of now. If I find out more I'll let you know."

"Alright, we will do the same so Robin won't need to worry over her Nakama too much. Ja Na!"

The snail hung up and promptly fell asleep. Whitebeard called the lad from before, Han, back in to bring it back to the communications room. Once he left there was a moment of quiet. "It's a relief that they are stopping now, while they can, then crossing the Red Line and be destroyed. I'm proud of Luffy for using his head for once and taking Rayleigh's advice." Ace spoke up.

"I can't believe he has beaten two Shichibukai already, as well as the whole fiasco at Enies Lobby. He has come a long way from the little crybaby we first met and has exceeded all my expectations for the start of his journey to the top." Erika said. "It also sounds like he has found a crew that really fits with his crazy personality. While he can be an idiot quite often he has a strong sense of morals and an iron will. It seems my hope of that iron attracting similar personalities has been realized." She continued.

"He sounds like a fine young man. A good Captain needs to think of the wellbeing of the crew while making his decisions and it seems he has done so. You both have the right to be proud." Whitebeard said in return.

"Trust me, we are. With this new information, I say we leave them be to train. We keep a casual eye out for the whereabouts of the other members but don't interfere. I know Luffy wouldn't want us to help him unless they are in a dire situation, he wants to earn his right to be called the next King of Pirates." Erika told the group. "When I leave in a couple of weeks I will visit Shaki, she should know where they are hidden away to train. I'll spend my season with them and see what exactly Ray-san has planned for Luffy."

"Very well. Izo, send out a message to our allies that we keep an eye out for any Strawhat but to not engage them. Marco, get our Fleet back on its usual route after our stop at the island tomorrow. In two years time, we will be sure to be near Fishman island to meet the crew of our youngest and welcome them to the New World, but for now, we must watch and wait." he commanded.

A beaming smile could be seen from the D sibling as they heard Whitebeard's acknowledgment, once more, of their small family being part of his own. While Erika wasn't fully sure if she should stay with them full time she had no problem saying what came out of her mouth next.

"Since we are all gathered still I would like to say something, if I may?" At Whitebeard's nod, she continued, "While I still have my doubts about staying with you lot all the time I can honestly say that I have never felt more welcomed anywhere else on these seas than I have been aboard this ship. I would be happy to formalize the alliance of my Pack, the Kaizoko Pack, with the Whitebeard Pirates." At this statement, everyone in the room wore matching grins and gave out cheers.

"Even if it was unknowingly," she continued over them, "you started this by accepting Beta Ace as a member of your crew, compounding it when you gave him the position of Commander. My main reason for staying aboard your ship was to see if you really would stand by our pack and not just Ace alone. With recent events, you have proven this to me and without a shadow of a doubt in my mind I know that the Pack is safe and welcomed by you as a whole." Erika continued to say.

"Guraguraguragura! I'm glad that you approve of our Alliance." Whitebeard boomed. "We still have two weeks to persuade you to spend most of your time on the ship with us but as long as you know that you and your Pack are family and fully welcomed aboard the Moby Dick I will be happy."

"I look forward to your continued efforts of persuasion, Nahahahaha!" Here she looked to Ace, who had a surprised yet ecstatic look on his face. When she raised her eyebrow in askance if she should continue on she had to laugh at how fast he nodded his head. She turned back to a slightly confused Whitebeard, now her Pops as well, and said, "In the spirit of our now bigger family I would like to name you as part of the Pack with the rank of Pack Elder." As soon as the words left her lips she was tackled to the floor in an enthusiastic hug and nuzzle by Ace, all while he repeated the words 'Thank you' over and over again. She could hear the laughter and cheering of the commanders as she fell.

Giving him a nuzzle and hug in return she gently pushed him off. Erika then watched as he bounded over to Pops to give him a congratulatory hug as well.

"Guraguragura! I will gladly accept the position and rank of Pack Elder, especially if it brings this much joy to my family." He said, returning Ace's hug. He then looked to her and extended his other arm in offer. Erika couldn't help but tear up a little even as she smiled. While she loved her parents, she never actually knew them. To have a man to look up to as father sounded amazing after only having stories of one for so long.

A nudge to her back brought her out of her thoughts and looking behind her she saw a smiling Marco. He motioned for her to join in on the hug and that is just what she did. The warmth and care that radiated from this simple hug told her she made the right decision more than anything else.

"Welcome to the Kaizoku Pack, Pops." She whispered to him.

"Welcome home daughter." He softly said back.

After another moment Erika and Ace stepped back from the hug, only to be mobbed by a good portion of the commanders in the room. It seemed they wanted to welcome their newest sibling as well and chatter was heard of a party to celebrate the occasion. Escaping from the group hug Erika took a moment to breathe. While she appreciated that they were happy about the alliance, it had been quite a long time since she was around so many people willing to physically show such emotions.

"They can be a little much at times, yoi, but they will have your back no matter what," Marco said next to her.

"I know," she said smiling. "I never thought it possible with anyone but my Pack, but I found acceptance here."

"You're a strong woman with a similar moral stance as us. Even if you weren't Ace's family we still would have welcomed you with open arms, yoi." He assured her with a small smile. As she looked around the room at all her new family she made a decision, one that both excited and scared her immensely.

Taking a deep fortifying breath, she turned back to Marco and said, "You know, we have plenty of ranks in the Pack that need to be filled if you commanders want them. While letting so many Alpha personalities in the same pack can be dangerous for normal wolves, I think with humans we can make it work." She told him a little shyly.

He gave her a big genuine smile as he said, "I would be honored to be a part of your pack, yoi. I'm sure the others would be too."

Her smile in relief could have matched the sun in brightness. "Can I have your help in trying to get the others to stop partying for a moment so I can invite them as well." She gave him a smirk as he laughed.

"As you wish Alpha." He said with a wink in return, missing the blush he had caused when calling her that. "Oi, return to your seats you lot! We got one more thing to go over before we start organizing a party, yoi." Everyone turned to him in confusion before finding their chairs. As Erika was still standing by Pops, with Marco returning to the chair next to her, their focus went to her.

"Before we start celebrating our official alliance I wanted to bring up something else as Pack Alpha." She started off. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves she continued, "I'd like to take this moment to extend an invitation to all the Whitebeard Commanders of a position and rank within my Pack if they wish to join," Erika said, enjoying the looks of surprise and excitement she was getting in return.

Ace and Pop's faces showing a delighted look, Thatch, Izo, and Hatura being eager and some showing just plain shock told her that at least some would join them. It looks like her little Pack was about to get a whole lot bigger!

* * *

**A/N: Sorry I skipped last week guys. To make up for it here is a new chapter early!**


	9. Chapter 9

"I'll name the ranks that are open and give a small description of what that position means and where on the 'totem pole' they are. We don't adhere as strongly to the rank system like a pack of full wolves would but now that we might be adding more members, most of whom have alpha qualities, it's still important to know the order." Erika started before anyone could get a comment in.

"I will say that as Commanders of the Whitebeard Fleet you are all the same ranks, however, if you are to join my Pack you won't be. No matter what rank you might get, if you join, you are brothers and Whitebeard Commanders first. I do not want to see anyone trying to pull rank in a situation that has nothing to do with the Kaizoku Pack. While we are allied, Pack matters will remain a little more separated from that of this Fleet. I said once before that once you are Pack it is for life and I mean it, but your rank can and will change if it has to. You kick up a fuss one too many times and I **will** demote you and someone better fitted will take your place. I know that this will be weird for some so if you don't wish to join then that is fine. Any questions or comments as of right now?" she asked. Haruta raised his hand and she nodded for him to go ahead.

"I understand what you said about the ranks being different for the Pack and Pack only, my question isn't about that. It's about the ranks that we will likely be put in. Are you going to go over what our expected duties are as members of your Pack via each rank?" he questioned.

"Yes," she answered. "I'll be naming the top 4 ranks and who holds them currently first, and then going down the line of the positions that I will have you guys fill. After I have laid them all out I will then confer with Pops and Ace. They know you guys best and can help make sure I assign everyone who wants a position in the Pack to a rank that suits them best. Is everyone clear on it?" when she only received nods she went ahead.

"You guys already know I am the Alpha and Ace is the Beta. Normally a Pack would have mated Alpha and Beta pairs leading, but for right now it's just us. After that is the Pack Elders; Pops and Garp, although Garp is an unofficial member and is almost never around so you won't need to worry about him. The fourth highest rank is called Delta and we only have one right now, Marco." She finished as she gestured to the blonde man. He looked a little surprised at having a rank named already, before giving her a solid nod of his head in acceptance of his position. The calm and ease he showed with this new information showed her that she was right in naming him a Delta.

The exclamations of surprise, Thatch even shouting how it was unfair he got a rank first, made her giggle. "Now, now, patience is a virtue! If I can finish my explanation then I can start assigning ranks, so hush." Erika called over the noise.

As they quieted right down, she continued. "Now I've already told you what the first three ranks mean, and Pops should remember what is position in the Pack entails." Here she looked to the giant man next to her and he nodded in agreement, giving her a proud smile as he did so. "For the size of the Pack, if you all are to join, I will only need four more Deltas. As Elders are more of an advisory role the Delta are the third in command. They usually take control of the spars and training, help organize the Pack when needed, and are the disciplinary force of the Alphas and Betas. Discipline is based on the behavior and will never be more physically abusive than what can occur in training in my Pack." Everyone nodded in understanding and agreement.

"The next in line is our Lead Warrior, Luffy. As he is MIA and we will have much more experienced men joining I will most likely place one of you in this spot. It may change in the future, it all depends on how well Luffy does in his training." She explained. Seeing no objections, she moved on. "Warriors are the next rank down. They will mainly follow the command of the Lead Warrior but orders of those of a higher rank do take precedence. The main duty for a Warrior is pretty simple, fight for and protect the Pack."

"Hunters follow behind the Warrior, although for our purposes they will have similar responsibilities. Hunters in my Pack will track down enemies that are threatening the safety of the Pack and eliminate them. Although anyone in the Pack can, they will most often be the ones to introduce new recruits to me to see whether they are fit to join us. They also protect the pack by fighting off enemies with our Warriors or moving any non-combat members to a safe place." Seeing that everyone was still following along she decided to give a full rundown of ranks.

"Now I don't see any of you going into these ranks, but if you are to join then you will need to know these positions in case we have the opportunity to fill them." Getting a murmur of agreement Erika pushed on. "Healers are next. I only have one person in this rank, Makino in East Blue, and with the expansion of the Pack, we will need to find at least one other if not more. Suggestions are welcome."

"At the bottom of the rank system is the Omegas. The Omegas have no authority in the pack except over pups and normally support the Elders if needed. They remain at the home, dens, and function as Den Mothers, babysitters to the pack's pups, teaching any younglings necessary skills and providing advice for them. We have no mated pairs or pups, and won't for the foreseeable future, so our Pack doesn't need Omegas. Any questions?" she asks now that she was done.

"How big do you want the Pack to be eventually?" Izo asked.

Erika paused for a moment, "I don't know really. I never thought it would get too much bigger than it was, to be honest. Now with you guys joining and the possibility of Luffy's crew having a similar mindset to do so…maybe 40 strong? That keeping in mind the possibility of mates and getting more Healers. If you are asking if I would add the whole of the Fleet, then no. While they will be family, they belong with Pops as his kids." Erika replied.

"Guraguragura well said!" Pops broke in and everyone gave a smile to their father figure.

"When you say mates and pups, are you saying that if we find a significant other and have kids they will be a part of the Pack as well, yoi?" Marco asked.

"Of course, family comes first in this Pack. Blood or not." The smiles of agreement she got were welcoming. "Even though I know it is the same amongst the Fleet, I will say this here and now, there is no discrimination in this Pack. A member of the Pack is family and will be treated as such, no matter their race or sexuality. Marrying in our line of work rarely happens and any kids we may have or adopt don't normally travel with us, but they will still be part of and protected by the Pack. If you do get a mate or significant other, and they stay with you they will most likely be given the same Rank as their partner, unless they are better suited elsewhere. If you have or adopt a child and keep them with you then we will add on or demote Omegas to help you out with them if necessary." Erika explained.

"Now, if there are no other questions?" she asked. When no one spoke up she said, "Then you guys can take this moment to talk amongst yourselves and decide if you would really like to join. As I said before, once you are made part of the Pack then it is for life. I will not be upset if you don't wish to join now and the offer will remain open. While you do that Pops, Ace and I will figure out rankings." She motioned for Ace to join her beside the captain of the ship as the rest of the group moved more down the table to give them some space.

"Now, you both know them best, so I will leave the majority of the placing to you, however, I want to try to have 4 people to each group; Delta, Warrior, and Hunter. We already have Marco as a Delta and someone will be taking Luffy's place as Lead Warrior. If someone doesn't wish to join right now, then the rank we would have put them in will remain open for them in the future." Erika started off.

"Hmm, very well. I can already think of who would fit each position best, to my knowledge. I would like to congratulate you though, my dear. In all my years with them, they have only ever really listened and behaved so well for me. Yet knowing you for a little over two weeks and you have them willing to join and listen to you as well. Even Marco, who has been with me from almost the start, readily accepted his rank as Delta. It's not something I would have expected when we first met." Pops stated.

"It surprised me as well. While I knew they would love you when they finally met you, for them to join the Pack under your leadership… I honestly didn't expect it." Ace said quietly.

"That is why I'm having them discuss this now." She said back gently. "I was surprised Marco said yes right away, although thinking on it, he knows the value of having a flock. I think most are willing to join so soon because they know that Pops is part of the Pack, and a highly ranked member as well."

"Before you start assigning ranks I will address everyone and make sure they understand that the Pack and the crew are separate, although intertwined, entities. I may have a position in the Pack, but you are the Alpha, when it comes down to it I will bow my head to you in Pack matters. I understand and respect that fact." Whitebeard said seriously.

"Just as I understand that now that I am allied to your crew, when it comes to Fleet matters I will bow my head to your orders as Captain." She said back.

Giving each other a smile in understanding they moved on to discussing where to put each commander. It didn't take them long to figure it out and soon they were calling everyone back to order. "I wish to make a comment before Erika calls for you to accept or decline a position within the Pack." Pops started, when everyone was quiet and focused on him he continued. "I wish to reiterate what Erika said earlier. This Pack and my crew are separate groups. They are joined through alliance and mutual members but are **not** the same. If anyone is joining just because I have a high position in the Pack then I urge you to think carefully. Erika is the leader of this Pack, in Pack matters I will follow her command just as you will." His comment seemed to surprise a couple of the commanders while others just nodded their heads in understanding.

"Now, I will go down this list and call for each person. When your name is read I will ask if you accept the position we have given you in the Pack. If you say yes then you are Pack and if you say no then the position, or a similar one, will remain open and waiting for you if you change your mind." Erika said next.

"As we are doing this formally, if you accept the position you will reply with, 'Yes Alpha.' If you decline a respectful 'No Mam," will do." Ace followed.

When she didn't receive any questions, Erika started. "Vista, will you accept the position of Delta within the Pack?" she asked

"Yes, Alpha." Was his reply.

"Haruta, will you accept the position of Delta within the Pack?"

"Yes, Alpha." He replied the same with a huge smile.

"Thatch, will you accept the position of Delta within the Pack?"

"Yes, Alpha." He answered while bouncing in his seat.

"Izo, will you accept the position of Delta within the Pack?"

"Yes, Alpha." He said, rolling his eyes at Thatch's antics.

"Welcome to our five new Deltas!" Erika said giving them a beaming grin. Everyone gave a cheer for their brothers, waiting for their turn.

"The next up is Jozu. Will you accept the position of Lead Warrior within the Pack?"

He gave a surprised look at his offered rank while others gave knowing grins and nods in agreement. Finally, he said, "Yes, Alpha." which lead to many congratulating him. She gave him a welcoming smile before turning to the list.

"Curiel, Rakuyo, Kingdew, and Fussa, you are offered the position of Warrior within the Pack. Do you accept?" Erika asked.

In return, she got three yeses and a no. Matching the voice to a face she saw Fussa towards the back of the table looking a little uncomfortable. When voices started calling out in question of the refusal she knocked her knuckles to the table to get their attention. "As I said before, the position will be there if you change your mind. Thank you for being honest." She said to him with a small smile. Turning to address the rest of the group, she said, "I don't want anyone pressuring him to change his mind. This is a personal decision as well as a big step in trust. He needs to make it on his own." She gave a slight glare to Thatch, who seemed like he wanted to speak up, for him to back down. When he did so she nodded to him and went back to the list.

"Now, I wish to extend the rank of Hunter to Blamenco, Blenheim, Namur, Atmos, and Speed Jiru. Will any of you accept this position within the Pack?" Erika asked next.

Namur and Atmos were the only ones to decline. She nodded her head to their answers and reiterated again that the position would be there if they changed their minds. "Thank you, everyone! To those who joined, welcome to the weirdest," "And best!" Ace cut in, "Pack on the seas." She continued without missing a beat. "For those that didn't join us today, I hope sometime in the future to welcome you as well. If you do change your mind all you have to do is let me or Ace know."

They all gave a smile and nod to show they understood. "All I have left to say is, where's the food and rum? I thought someone called for a party earlier?"

Everyone laughed and gave a cheer, Thatch running out of the room to alert his men in the kitchen to start on a feast. Izo and Marco left next to update their divisions of the change to the search for Luffy that was decided in the meeting. The rest of the group gathered on the deck by Pops' chair.

"So where is your next destination now that you are going back on course?" Erika asked Marco as he walked up to stand next to her.

"Well, we normally visit one of our big protectorate islands and do one of our bigger restock halls around this time of year, yoi. It gives the lads a chance to relax on land a bit and relieve pent up frustrations." He said, showing a bit of a sly smile.

"Hmm, I see. So you're basically unleashing a thousand hungry and horny pirates on one island. Those poor women!" She laughed.

"With some places I've seen, it's the men you should be worried about, yoi." He laughed. At her questioning look, he continued, "We've been doing this for a long time now and we always let the Mayor of the island or town we go to know ahead of time, so they can prepare what we need to be stocked. I swear that when we land the men get mobbed at times, yoi." He answered with a smirk.

"Nahahahaha, I believe it! I bet dear little Acey has had a hard time on those occasions." She said.

"The first time was hilarious, yoi. He hadn't joined us yet then and must have been looking to disappear on the island. When he got off he looked so confused and even a little scared at all the attention. I saw this one red-head get her hooks into him just before he was about to book it, yoi. After a little chat, they left for the village. Didn't see him for the rest of the night and when he came stumbling back early in the morning he looked worn out. What I found most amusing was that he was a lot nicer to us for a few weeks afterward, yoi."

"Of course, the idiot. I swear, even with growing up living with me and being around Makino his entire life he still doesn't know how to deal with women. It doesn't help that he has the emotional capacity of a preteen either." Erika said, shaking her head with a smirk. "What do you normally do during this time of year when you stop? Do you have a mate you go see, or do you hide on the ship?" she asked.

Marco looked off to the sea, somewhat sadly. "I've not yet found a Mate. Most often than not I will either stay on the ship or disappear into the closest forest for a while, yoi. Pops understands and kinda lets me have the time to myself unless I'm really needed."

"I see. Finding someone to Mate with is hard enough without adding to the fact that we are highly wanted." She said in return, understanding and sadness coloring her voice. "But we have our family there for us, their love sustaining us until we can find our Mates."

"They have sustained me for 25 years now, what's a few more, yoi?" Marco asked in wry humor. He looked over his chatting family and couldn't help but smile.

"You've had your fruit for 25 years? No wonder you control it and your instincts so well." Erika said in surprise.

"I ate my fruit when I was 17, about a year after I joined Pops' crew. It's honestly hard for me to remember the time before I had it, yoi. My fruit or this family." He said as he laid his hand on his chest, right over the mark tattooed there.

"I can kind of understand what you mean. I've had my fruit for 19 years now and every day it becomes, even more, a part of me." She said quietly. Her lips then twisted into a slight smirk while looking to Marco out of the corner of her eye. "Though I have to admit that for a guy in his early 40's you honestly don't look it, I'd say closer to my own age of 24. Having the regenerative powers of a Phoenix sure does have its perks doesn't it." Her smirk turns into a smile and giggles when she noticed the light shade of pink dusting the Commander's cheeks. Teasing the normally stoic commander was more fun than she thought.

"Yes, well, I suppose that can be considered a plus, yoi." He said as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, still blushing slightly. "To be honest I haven't really thought about it that much."

"I can see that," Erika giggled again. "Look on the bright side, you'll stay your youthful and handsome self for many years to come still." Marco's face flushed a little deeper while giving Erika a somewhat shocked look. "Oh? Am I not supposed to notice a good-looking guy when he is standing in front of me just because he is my little brother's ship-brother?" she asked with a fake look of disbeleif.

"No, I just wasn't expecting it, yoi. While I hear things about my looks from random girls ashore from time to time, hearing something positive about them while on the ship is unexpected." Marco replied, finally getting back his lazy poker face.

"Ah, I see. With people like Izo and Thatch around I would have figured teasing about good looks was common. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable?" Erika asked sweetly, tilting her head and giving him a little bit of a sad look.

"Oh, no! I wasn't uncomfortable, yoi!" Marco said quickly, not noticing that her sadness was also a part of her tease. "Actually, it was nice to hear a compliment. Your right about Thatch and Izo but they mostly find ways to pick at you, not compliment, yoi. I can't tell you how many times I've been called a pineapple from Thatch…" he grumbled as he trailed off a bit, a slight frown on his face.

"A pineapple?" Erika asked. When he gestured to his hair she understood. Turning to him and taking a step closer, she reached her hand up to the bangs of his hair. At his confused and questioning look, she smiled, "While it might remind some of a tropical fruit, I am reminded of golden feathers, cresting the head of a strong and beautiful bird."

Erika could see the surprise in his eyes turn to gratitude. When her hand started to run through his hair, nails slightly scratching his scalp, his eyes became even more lidded then usual and she knew a spark of pleasure showed. At any other time of year, she might have continued to see where this path leads, but with their season fast approaching, she would not risk it.

Releasing her hand from his, surprisingly soft, hair she said, "Either way, I suppose it's time to tell the others the good news and get the party started, don't you?" she took a step back, relishing in the flash of disappointment in Marco's eyes. With his poker face back, he nodded in reply, gesturing for her to proceed him. As they moved to stand next to Pops' chair, they looked to him in question. He gave them a smile in return and looked over the sizable crowd that has gathered. It seems everyone knew there was to be a party soon, but not the reason for it... like the Whitebeard Pirates really needed a reason to party.

"I have wonderful news to share my children," Pops called out, getting everyone's attention. "During this morning's meeting, we concluded that Strawhat Luffy is safe and is now undergoing training in preparation for entering the New World. The picture in this mornings paper was a message to his crew that they are to do the same. Our position now is to watch and wait. If we come across any members of the Strawhat Pirates, we are to ensure they are safe and undisturbed for their training. When they reconvene in 2 years' time and set off for Fishman Island we will be ready to welcome them."

Everyone gave a cheer at the thought of getting to meet the Little Brother and his crew. Pops laughed along with their enthusiasm. "Guraguragura. While this is good news indeed, it is not all that we will be celebrating today." He called over the noise. The crew calmed quickly and refocused on their father figure. "The other spectacular news I have to share is that you officially have a new big sister! While we have yet to convince her to stay with us full time, Valencia D Erika has consented to form an offical alliance between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Kaizoku Pack, of which she is the leader. Our new youngest, Luffy, is a part of this Pack as well as a couple of others that we will surely meet at a later date."

More cheers erupted from the crowd, making Erika blush slightly at how happy everyone seemed. She could hear Marco giving a slight chuckle from next to her and she turned to pout at him. In turn, he smiled warmly at her and she couldn't help but smile in return. It had been longer than she could count that she could openly joke with anyone other than her brothers, and the feeling was a wonderful one. Pops looked to her in askance on whether he should continue or if she would rather and she gave a nod while stepping forward.

"I know many of you might be a little confused on what Pops means by me being the leader of a Pack and not a crew. My Devil Fruit is special and allows me to change into 3 different forms, one being that of a Dire Wolf. Due to this, I created a Pack, consisting of my brothers and closest friends, Commander Ace being my second in command. When I formally acknowledged the alliance between my Pack and Pops' Fleet I also decided to include Pops and the other commanders in my Pack if they so wished. I'm ecstatic to say that the majority consented to join." Here she looked to the Commanders that surrounded Pops chair with a beaming smile.

"Now, just because they have joined my Pack as well doesn't mean I'm stealing them away from Pops or the crew, they are Whitebeards first and foremost. This just means that when the Pack needs help they are the first in line, as Pack members, to render aid. Seeing as Whitebeard Pirates now make up the majority of Pack numbers… I think we can safely say that all this has done is to make our two families closer." Erika finished with a smile.

The surrounding men gave another cheer, showing that they had no issues with their Commanders joining her Pack. Erika couldn't help but smile bigger. Soon everyone started breaking off into groups to get sections of the deck cleared and party supplies out. Thatch soon announced the food was ready to be brought out and the party got underway.

Ace could be found surrounded by his division as the ate and drank. His division wanted to know more about the Pack and as second in command Ace was the perfect person to ask. Erika was in a similar position, eating and drinking with a big group around her asking questions and giving their good wishes about her officially becoming family. Most also had questions about her Devil Fruit, and while a little shy at first, she told them about it. While some seemed a little unsure about her full Chimera form, most thought it exciting and amazing.

Soon after, most of the food was devoured and a great portion of the crew was drunk. Someone got out some instruments and music was being played. At first, everyone just sang along drunkenly until Ace came up to Erika begging her to dance with him, like how they used to at Makino's bar. Erika couldn't help but laugh at the memory of Makino teaching her and her siblings how to dance.

Once space was cleared enough for them to move about they started to dance. The way they moved to the music and with each other was in perfect time, showing on how long they have known each other and that this was something that was done often in the past. Soon more and more men joined them on the newly minted dance floor, forcing them to bob, weave, ans swing around them as they continued. Erika honestly couldn't remember the last time she had so much fun or felt so at home.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day the Moby Dick was docked at the Island that they were going to do the coating at. No longer needing to do so, and having to gather a few supplies before heading out again, Pops and Marco decided to stay the few days needed for the Log Pose to change back. When Marco told them they were staying for a bit Erika took Ace hunting in the forest on the island, as promised. Running through the trees with their sibling by their side seemed to be exactly what they needed. Erika told Marco later that day that laughing and competing with each other for kills reminded her of when they did the same back on Dawn. He was glad that the crew didn't have to worry about restocking on meat due to all of the animals they got during that competition, Ace losing by 3 kills. Izo had especially expressed how overjoyed he was at getting more furs to Marco, promising to make him a nice fur coat after he finished with Erika's now that he had plenty of material.

Time past quickly from that point. Erika was fitting in amongst the Commanders and their duties great. Her days were mostly filled in with training those in the separate divisions in hand-to-hand combat as well as Armament Haki. When not training the divisions she was helping Marco to get Ace's Haki up to par. He was getting a little better with Armament but his Observation needed a lot of work. Erika said she didn't want to work on his Conquers Haki until he had basically mastered using these two.

One of these training sessions turned into a spar against him, both of them demonstrating the use of one Haki each. Erika seemed quite proud of the bruises that Marco sported before he healed them. While panting slightly after the fight he couldn't help but compliment on how strong her Haki was and how quick she had to be to get hits in against his observation.

It was one of the many compliments that he paid her over the following two weeks. It seemed the, what he thought was subtle, looks of longing, deliberate closeness, and light flirtations he made were spotted by some of his fellow commanders, even Pops, and they started to quietly tease him of his crush. Ace is one of two people to approach and ask him seriously about it, although he was trying to protect his big sister and Alpha, not to encourage Marco to continue his pursuit like Pops had. Marco's answer seemed to shock him as well as impressed him.

"Your sister is a smart, beautiful, powerful, and kind woman. Who the hell wouldn't want a chance to win her heart, yoi? If she ever gives me a chance do you honestly think I'm going to fuck it up by playing around?" Marco looked at him stupidly as he leaned on the wall of the wheelhouse, smoking a cigarette. At Ace's worried and impatient face he decided to explain his thoughts more. "Do you know how long I've been looking for my perfect Mate, yoi? A woman who could compete with me in almost anything as well as complete me where I'm lacking. One that fully understands the meaning of family and why it is so important, yoi. A person that excepts I'm a pirate and is either one in turn or willing to wait for me to come back to her." He shook his head at Ace's confused look.

Looking up to the sky, he continued, "I've been looking, for what I've slowly come to believe was a mythical woman, for 25 years, yoi. Longer than you have been alive. Three weeks ago the perfect potential Mate for me comes waltzing aboard our home with our hated enemy hogtied and our little brother safe and sound, yoi." Marco then looks down at the floor. "I understand and agree that we should avoid mating during our upcoming season, we don't fully know one another yet. But I can't help but find Erika beautiful and intriguing, to both me and my Phoenix." Quietly he added, "I really hope she will give me a chance to prove that it's not just my instincts that make me want her."

Before anything else could be said he stood from the wall he'd been leaning on and walked across the deck, flicking his unfinished smoke over the rail as he did so. Marco knew that his season was coming and while the Phoenix in him wasn't totally in control it did push him to try harder and to be more impressive. He knew that nothing could happen so close to mating season so he just did small things, things to hopefully plant a seed for the future. He was serious about trying to win her heart so he was more than willing to play the long game for her.

Unfortunately, time wasn't on his side in this. It was now the last day Erika was to spend with them, tomorrow she would be leaving to pass the season by with Luffy. He was glad that she was going to announce her decision on whether or not to stay full time with them soon, but he was dreading her answer. Trying one last time to persuade her to stay on the ship after the season he asked to speak with her alone. Once they got to an open bit of deck where no one was around he turned to her to speak.

"I'm am saying this both as a friend and Pack member, please come back, yoi. I understand that you aren't used to being with so many people all the time but we would all love it if you returned at the end of the month." He started. When it seemed like she was willing to listen he continued. "From a strategic vantage, the majority of the Pack is on this ship and so too should be our Alpha, yoi. Because you are in an alliance with Pops and not a full member of the crew you can leave if and when you want to check on our other members." He looked away briefly to take a breath, "From a more personal standpoint, I've become close to you since you have been here, become a friend and Packmate to you happily, yoi. I want you to come back and stay because I would miss you, and I know that a good majority of the family feels the same." He said honestly and earnestly, pulling no punches on this try.

Erika looked to him in shock for a moment, before he saw some other emotion flash across her face. It was too quick for him to recognize what it was, but with it, a sense of dread rose in him. She looked down for a moment, seeming to be thinking, before giving herself a strict nod and looked back to him.

"I understand where you are coming from, on both fronts, and agree with you. It would be best if the Alpha stayed with her Pack and I would miss you all terribly. However, Ace is the Beta and will lead the Pack members here just fine and because I am an allied leader I can come to visit whenever and for however long I want. I've become used to traveling on my own, going wherever I please when I please and following my own set of rules. Can you see why it has been a difficult choice for me?" Feeling a little sad Marco gave a nod while looking down. It figures that he meets a perfect potential Mate and she doesn't want to stay. "Can a ask you a personal question, Marco? It might help me decide." He heard her ask quietly, taking a step closer to him as she did so.

When he looked up to her his mind went blank. She was looking at him now from under a foot away, her eyes sharp but slightly lidded and her lips parted just enough to entice him. He had to blink a few times before he just gave her a nod, not trusting his voice to work. He swore her smile was sultry on purpose when she said, "What is the real reason you want me to come back?" and she licked her lower lip. He knew she was egging him on now, trying to see if his instincts will take over or if he could control himself. She was testing him, and he was determined to pass.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, knowing it was now or never, he spoke his true feelings, "I want you to come back because I want to see if I can truly win your heart and the right to be called your Mate, yoi." Relishing in her slight hitch of breath, he continued. "We said we've been looking for a Mate for 25 and 19 years respectively a couple of weeks ago, I'm hoping that by this time next year we will no longer have to keep count. I want to be what you want and need and show you why I think you are the one I was waiting so diligently for." In the spur of the moment, he decided to go for broke. Marco cupped her chin gently with one hand to make sure she was looking at him deep in the eye when he said his last sentence. "Will you, Alpha Erika, give this humble Delta a chance to prove his worth to you as a Mate?"

Eriks looked completely taken aback from his speech, but in her eyes, he could see a flare of hope starting to shine. What confused him was the flash of pain he saw before that look of hope encompassed her entire face. "A smart, powerful, good-looking man with good morals, sense of humor and a craving for and understanding of family like my own, asking to be my Mate." She whispered, almost to herself in disbelief. She then gave him a small shy smile, "I'll make you a deal Delta Marco, you get me to fall head over heels for you and prove yourself a worthy Mate and Alpha male for this Pack by this time next year and I will consent to becoming your Mate."

The sheer joy and relief that spread through his body were euphoric. Not only had she decided to give him a chance to prove himself, but she was also saying that she would return to him, them, at the end of the season. The happy trill that escaped him couldn't be helped and though it would normally embarrass him he couldn't help but chuckle at himself. Erika gave a small giggle as well before letting out a responding coo so he wouldn't feel bad.

She gently removed his hand from her face, giving it a small squeeze, before backing up a little. It took a bit of mental fortitude on his part to not follow after her once he realized what was happening. "I need to finish packing for my trip to visit Luffy. When I come back, to I guess my new home, our deal officially starts. So you should put your best foot forward, I'm counting on you to prove my hope for you right." With that, she turned and walked away. He couldn't help but watch as her full hips swayed from side to side as she walked. He snapped back to himself when she turned the corner and was out of sight.

Marco couldn't believe it. He made a risky move in telling Erika his feelings, so unlike him in every way, and it actually worked. Still standing frozen in his spot, the shock and excitement thrumming through his system, thinking over the conversation again, he didn't notice a person walking up to him.

"You know," that person said, startling Marco out of his thoughts. "When I asked you about your feelings for my sister I honestly never thought things would happen like this." Ace finished. "Rika has had her inner heart closed off, not daring to hope of a love greater than familial, for a long while now. Part of me thought she had given up on it completely. Her hopes were so lost inside her that it took me pointing it out for her to even realize that you were actually flirting with her for a date and not just looking for a tumble." Ace then looked to him sternly. "That is why I had to be sure, to be absolutely positive that you weren't another false hope. I know that you are a good guy and that you won't purposely hurt her, I've known you long enough to trust her to you. I also trust that you will give this your all. You got the chance you wanted Marco, so just do me a favor and prove us right in betting on you." With that bit of enlightenment, Ace walked away.

Marco just didn't know how to react at this point and he knew for damn sure that he would be useless to anyone for the next hour or so until he sorted his thoughts. Slowly making his way to his quarters he pondered on everything that had happened in the last half hour. He had confessed his feelings of wanting to explore a relationship with Erika, who agreed to come back to the ship at the end of the month and give it a try. He then learned that she had apparently given up on love but was willing to make an exception for him. He also had one of her brother's approval in his attempts to win her heart, in Ace's own 'do or die' way.

He was happy, overjoyed, ecstatic that she was willing to give him a chance, yet it saddened him so much to think that she had basically given up hope to even finding a Mate. She had every right to find happiness and more than deserved it. The love of his family and the happiness he shared at being with them is what keeps him going when he starts feeling lonely, the thought of her sailing alone and hopeless of deeper love made him even more determined to never let her do so again.

While Ace's approval right away came as a slight shock, it was something that he could understand as well. Having known him for over a year and gotten to be very close friends, Ace knows who he is, his character. Marco may be a pirate, but he would never hurt an innocent or be cruel when unnecessary. He loved the sea and the freedom it gave to just be himself.

Marco made it to his room and shut the door. He made his way over to his bed and sat down, head in his hands. He couldn't help but think about the upcoming season and how hard it was going to be for him. Not only had he just found a potential mate but said possible mate was going to be far away from him. A rolling coo made its way out of his throat, his Phoenix showing it's displeasure at the thought. He was going to need to keep a tight reign on himself in order to stay on board and not follow after Erika. He would normally try to avoid it getting this bad, but it looked like he might need to be locked in his room like in the early years of having his Devil Fruit.

Marco decided that he was going to have to talk to both Ace and Pops after Erika left tomorrow about his duties and what he was feeling. He knew that Ace would understand and Pops would give him the time that he needed. There was no way that he was going to jeopardize any chance of being Erika's mate by losing control and following after her like a juvenile clutchling. He needed to show her that he was a worthy Alpha male in control of his instincts, if that meant secluding himself in his room for the first half of the season then so be it. He would still be able to do his paperwork and will be able to use the time alone to come up with ways to court Erika and prove his worth.

Sighing, Marco decided that he had thought enough on the subject for now and needed to rejoin the crew up on deck. His time in the open air is going to be limited shortly and he might as well enjoy it while he can.

* * *

Erika didn't know what came over her to propose such a deal to Marco. She was prepared to tell everyone that she wasn't staying with them permanently and that she would visit as often as the wind allowed when he pulled her to the side. Yes, he made a good argument for her to stay, but as she said before, Ace was an excellent Beta and could handle any Pack matters that could come up on his own. When Marco told her how much he and everyone would miss her if she didn't return she couldn't help but look into his eyes. She could see hope, fear, and desperation in them, reminding her of what Ace had told her a few nights ago.

How sad was it that she had to have her little brother point out to her when someone was genuinely interested in courting her and not just wanting to take a tumble? She never realized how closed off from her heart she had become after searching for so long without success of finding a man worthy of being her Mate. To become so oblivious that when someone with actual potential approaches her she doesn't even notice.

Even then she had to test him, had to make sure that this was a real hope and not another bid for her pants. When he asked permission to prove himself worthy she couldn't hold back the hope spreading in her chest. He was willing to work for her heart, to prove that he could be right for her. This, this slowly growing hope, had been the reason for deciding to stay and proposing her deal. It was to good a chance to pass up. The possibility that she had found someone to be her Mate, someone to understand and complete her, she couldn't just leave.

So now she was back on the Valkyrie packing for her trip. Since she would be returning there was no point in taking everything she owned anymore. She would leave her precious ship in the capable hands of the shipwrights here and fly to Sabaody with only what she needed for the month. At dinner tonight she was to announce her choice, Marco being the only one to know what it is now. She was sure that Pops will be overjoyed, as well as quite a few commanders that she has become good friends with.

With her bag now packed, room for her new winter coat set aside, she left the Valkyrie to head up to Ace's room. She felt she would need to talk over her choice with him one last time before her announcement as well as wanting to talk about Pack matters before she left. When she reached the commander's quarters she was surprised to see a conflicted looking Macro leaving his room. It seems he was having just as hard a time wrapping his head around his thoughts as she was.

When he saw her in the hall he stopped a moment before giving her a slightly shy smile. "Did you get everything packed, yoi?" he asked as she approached.

"Yeah, now that I will be returning after the season is done I needed a pack for the trip. I figure flying would be cheaper and quicker than getting the ship coated and going through Fishman Island like I was going to do before. I still have to get my new coat from Izo, but aside from that I'm all set to leave in the morning." She answered. Marco looked surprised for a moment before his eyes seemed to brighten.

"You mean you originally decided not to stay with us, yoi?" he asked, a little breathless sounding.

Erika couldn't help but give a small laugh. "No, I wasn't planning on coming back right after the season. I had planned to stay with Luffy a while longer and maybe meet up with Sabo for a bit. While I would come back periodically to visit with everyone, I thought it best to stay mostly on my own." She replied.

"And you're returning now, just to give me the chance I asked for?" he questioned as he stepped closer. He was now only a couple of feet away from her and she could see that he was holding his breath for her answer.

She gave a small smile and tilted her head to the side as she answered. "I was presented with the possibility of my perfect Mate being on this ship. Staying away after the season has ended and not taking the time to explore this chance could be the biggest regret in my life if I chose that path. The boys and I promised when we were young to live our lives with no regrets Marco, to live each day as it came and to always be free."

Marco took another step closer, extending his hand in askance for her own. Once she gave it to him he bowed slightly over it, grazing her knuckles with the barest of kisses. "Thank you, yoi, for giving me this chance. I won't let you regret this, I'll make sure to prove myself to be a man worthy of being your Mate. I'll show you that you truly do belong here with us, yoi, with me." He said as he stood back up, giving her hand a slight squeeze in gratitude.

It was Erika's turn to be embarrassed as she couldn't contain the slight croon of warmth that escaped her. Marco smiled in understanding, even as he was trilling with excitement in return. They chuckled to themselves and Marco let go of her hand and backed up a few paces.

"I will say that this season is going to be one of the hardest ones I've gone through in a long while, yoi. Knowing you are out there, willing to give me a chance yet I can't officially approach you is going to be difficult to handle." He stated once at a respectable distance.

"I know. I've known of you being the only other Phoenix for 6 years now, finally meeting you will make things even more strained for the next couple weeks. That's why I'm visiting Luffy and Ray-san. Having the scent of my male family members around me has always helped keep me calm and less flighty. While being with Ace would have somewhat the same effect, your scent is all over this ship and even now I can feel my Phoenix getting antsy over it." Erika replied.

"I understand, yoi," Marco said with a slight grimace, showing he was having some trouble as well. "I need to speak with Pops so I'll see you at dinner."

"Of course," she replied. "But don't tell him my decision yet, I want it to be a nice surprise for everyone."

Marco smirked at that and said, "You do know that you will more than likely get mobbed once you announce it, yoi."

Erika gave a small smile and said, "I've come to terms with the fact mobbing people is a regular thing on this ship. It's something I look forward to getting used to, actually." Her voice got a little shy towards the end and she couldn't help to be a little embarrassed at how unused to human contact she was. The only people she was ever really close to were her brothers and Makino.

Marco gave her another smile before walking past her and down the corridor. Erika continued a few more doors until she reached Ace's room. Once inside she let her pack rest by the wall and plopped herself down on his bed to wait for him. It didn't take long for Ace to return, paperwork in hand and a grumpy look on his face.

"I don't get it! We are pirates, why do we have to do all this stupid paperwork?!" he grumbled, setting the stack on his desk.

"You have paperwork because you are in a position of authority and responsibility. I know you did some as a captain of your crew for money and stock, why would you think this crew, that is vastly bigger than your original one, would be any different?" Erika asked.

"I know all that, but it doesn't mean I like it. I'm in a position of authority in the Pack, I don't have to do any paperwork for that." Ace replied as he sat in his chair to pout.

"No, because the pack was only us siblings. Now that we have added to our numbers we might have to start keeping track. At least of everyone's ranks and their abilities and such. As my Beta, I would expect you to at least have a copy of these papers and keep them up to date." Ace groaned at the thought of more work but nodded his head in compliance.

"As you know what each of our new Packmates can do better than me, maybe I should have you do it all by yourself," Erika said teasingly.

"No, please, don't give me even more paperwork! I have enough as is!" He whined back.

"Nahahahaha, very well. Then I want you to start a folder on the Pack, each member gets one page and on that page is a list of things that we need to know. For now, we will stick with the basics; who they are, where they are based, their rank, defining skills, and if they are mated or unmated. If there is anything else of note that you can think of adding then go ahead. You can work with Marco on this as he is both Pops' First Mate and our Delta." Erika decided. Ace was nodding along as he thought. It seemed that he agreed that having all of this written down and organized was a good idea, he just didn't want to do it all by himself.

"Ok, I can do that and have it done by the time you come back at the end of the month." He said. His words surprised her greatly, she never told him her decision of whether she was coming back or not. Was it just wishful thinking on his part or did he somehow find out about her deal with Marco in the few short hours since their conversation?

"You assume I'm coming back right away?" she asked, fishing for information.

"I know you are." He replied with a wide grin. "While I might not be the smartest fish in the sea I can figure out a thing or two. It made sense that Marco would try to talk you into coming back before you left, given his feelings, so when I saw you guys wondering off together I figured that was what he was going to do." Ace explained.

Leaning back in his chair and looking to the ceiling thoughtfully Ace continued. "Never thought he would have the balls to risk telling you of his feelings so soon or that you would be so open to giving him a chance so close to your season. I've always known him to be a cautious guy, all risks are weighed and variables are taken into account before he acts. He did none of that today and I think that that speaks for how much he really wants to make this work."

"You evesdropped on our conversation? Ace!" Erika exclaimed as she sat up.

"I'm not sorry Rika. I needed to make sure that Marco was doing things the right way. While I believe his feelings are genuine and trust that he won't purposely hurt you, I want to make sure he did things respectfully. Your my big sister, you practically raised us, you deserve to be treated like a jewel and I'm going to make sure he knows that." Ace said heatedly.

While Erika was still a little upset at the lack of privacy, she couldn't help but love her little brother a bit more for what he said. She liked to joke about him being clueless when it came to the opposite sex and romance but Ace was just shy on the approach. He knew how to properly treat women, those with or without great strength, and couldn't stand to see one being mistreated. She should have figured that he would be extra protective of her and somewhat harsh to anyone who tried to court her.

"Acey, I understand that you want to protect me and make sure I'm treated right, after all, I was the one to show you how to treat a lady respectfully, but you can't push it too far. Warn him of the consequences of being disrespectful while I'm away if you must but this will be my relationship. I won't have you butting in at every turn." She looked at him sternly to keep him from interrupting.

"If he does something that upsets me I will deal with it and, though I highly doubt it will happen, if he does something highly inappropriate or hurts me then I will let you know and you can have whatever is left of him when I'm done. Deal?" she asked.

Ace pouted a moment before nodding. He then quirked a smile at her, "I trust Marco and know he's a good guy, I just can't help being a little nervous."

"I know sweety," Erika said as she got up to hug him. "Trust me, I'm nervous too. But as you said, he's a good man and as the only other Phoenix, he stands a chance to understand me more than almost anyone else. I have to see if this chance is the one I've been waiting for."

He nodded into her shoulder, not wanting to let go just yet. That was fine by her, Erika had never realized how much she would miss her boys until she left them. She missed the days when they would play out in the forest to the point of exhaustion only to return to the treehouse they made and cuddle up in one big pile to sleep. Sleeping alone was hard to get used to, which is why she happily bunked with Ace while she was here with him.

After a few more moments she pulled away, "Come, dinner should be just about ready and I have an announcement to make to the crew." She said.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry for the long wait for this chapter. Life seems so find a way to delay you at all the wrong times. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I'm currently working on the next one and will have it up as soon as I can.**


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